


Beautiful Stranger

by Rhythmusic101



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF Betty Cooper, Black Hood - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Ghoulies, Hiram Lodge Being an Asshole, Implied Sexual Content, Jughead Jones (mentioned) - Freeform, Kidnapping, Mild Graphic Violence/Language, Nick St. Clair Being an Asshole, Secrets, Secrets Revealed, Slow Updates, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper, au-ish, barely edited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 167,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhythmusic101/pseuds/Rhythmusic101
Summary: Originally a two-shot, also originally titled "Strangers" - Betty and the rest of the gang are introduced later.AU - Veronica had no idea who this beautiful blonde knight in shining leather was that was hiding out with her in the freezer of a grungy Southside bar (of all places), but she was absolutely determined to find out— even if her knight doesn't seem half as interested. A Lodge was nothing if not persistent after all.Then things get complicated.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller
Comments: 27
Kudos: 313





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Sooo, what's your name, stranger?" 
> 
> "...just that...well, you don't look like a Serpent, you have to admit that." 
> 
> "Not that I completely mind...I mean its cold and we are sharing body heat now, so..." 
> 
> "You talk too much."

_Prelude._

It was anticipated. 

From the moment Veronica Lodge wandered into the local south side bar, the Whyte Wyrm, on a Saturday evening— with her pearl necklace, designer shoes and designer dress to match. 

There were stares. 

Some Serpents were glaring, some were leering, others had simply stopped what they were doing to look at her in surprise.

Though it was her first time on the Southside, something told Veronica they didn't normally get many surprise visitors. Especially, of the Northsider kind. 

It was written all over their faces— she clearly didn't belong, but no one was going to throw her out without her starting any trouble. 

Veronica liked to think of herself as a person for all kinds, just as people accepted her, she accepted them without judgement. 

She was in no place to judge after all.

When she lived in New York, she had been the worst of the worst to those less fortunate than her— until her father went to jail for stealing the majority of their riches and she had been knocked down a peg (or two)— from then that version of her was no longer. 

When everyone eventually went back to what they were doing, socializing, playing pool, drinking, dancing— Veronica went straight for the bar and took a seat on an empty stool. 

"So this is the Southside, huh?" She takes in the ambiance and nods her approval. "Not as horrific as people make it out to be. Beyond the cheap beer and cigarette smell, I could actually get used to this." 

In her quiet musings, Veronica had almost barely noticed one blonde haired Serpent sat on the stool beside her, still staring at her from the corner of her eye. 

"Serpents don't do subtle, do they?" She inquires in a slightly sarcastic but friendly tone before turning to face her admirer. 

_Oh..._

And she thought she looked out of place in the slightly grungy bar. 

This girl was clearly a teenager like herself, her blonde ponytailed hair and blue-green eyes too bright for the darkish atmosphere. There was no Southside Serpent jacket, just a pastel hoodie, plus the girl was simply nursing what looked to be a Pepsi.

She had all the appearances of a Northsider, but Veronica had never seen her around before, and if she wasn't a random southsider or Serpent — she thought the blonde had to be new in town or got lost somehow.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, making it clear to Veronica that she had been staring silently for far too long in her curiosity. 

She quickly clears her throat, giving her cordialist of smiles. "Veronica Lodge." The brunette offers. 

Her offer is met with silence. 

The girl holds her gaze for moment longer, blue-green eyes piercing into her, almost alluringly so, before looking away. 

Veronica's smile falls, ever-so-slightly. 

"Sooo, what's your name, stranger?" She tries instead, raising an eyebrow. 

To be met with more silence. The blonde doesn't even so much as look over. 

"Not much of a talker, are you?" She nods as if she understands, which couldn't be further from the truth. Wordplay was practically a Lodge's forte. "That's fine, I am. I'm waiting for my best friend, if you were wondering." 

The blonde still doesn't look at her, still staring off into the distance. If it weren't for the occasional sip of her drink, Veronica would think she was talking to a statue as she continues rambling. 

"She's a Serpent." She leans against the bar, facing the blonde to rest her chin in her hands. "Weird, because she lives on the Northside. We were supposed to be going shopping today and she just had to stop by her girlfriend's trailer to talk for a few minutes and told me to wait outside, that bitch. It's been about thirty minutes since then and something tells me they aren't doing much talking, if you know what I mean." 

Silence. 

Veronica slightly slouches in disappointment. "...then I found this place and here I am, talking to you. A stranger." _A beautiful stranger._ "Who clearly doesn't want to talk to me so why am I even trying?" She sighs, muttering, finally taking her eyes off the blonde and looking towards the exit. "Come on, Cheryl. Where are you?" 

The blonde's features twitch in recognition. It was small, but noticeable— and Veronica perks up.

"You know Cheryl? Blossom?"

No response. 

She notes the blonde huff a little. 

Veronica frowns, her resolve crumbling and huffs a little herself. "You know, a few years ago if someone didn't speak to me, I'd hurt them. Verbally." She rolls her eyes at herself. "Not physically of course, I'm about as strong as a fly and at least flies have to be fit, right? I can't tell you how many times I've been in gym class and would have traded my _first born_ to get out of it, I..." 

The blonde's lips upturn slightly, causing Veronica to lose her train of thought. 

"You're smiling?" 

Visibly aghast, dark eyes brighten at the action, though they aren't sure why they are so intrigued by the non-speaking, blue-green eyed girl. 

The blonde shakes her head, still refusing to look at her but glancing toward the exit— the smile just as quickly wiped off as it had occurred. Unbeknownst to Veronica in her new happen, the bar had gotten significantly quieter, but the brunette had already taken to smirking and poking a finger into the other girl's tensed shoulder. 

"You totally were-"

Mid-sentence, the blonde leans over, clamping her hand over her mouth. 

Veronica startles, but under the girl's— suddenly intense— gaze locked on her own, doesn't dare move. 

" _Ghoulies!_ " Somewhere behind her someone bellows. 

Then the next thing she knew, chairs, tables, fists, and knives were flying in her peripheral vision. A group of dark looking newcomers filling into the bar like lawless predators. 

Veronica gulps nervously.

But not once did her frightened eyes leave the blonde's in front of her. 

For once, her emotions were written all over her face. She was hesitating and Veronica could swear she heard the muttering of curses over the violent commotion around them. 

Letting out a quiet growl and removing her hand from her mouth (a move Veronica definitely didn't find extremely attractive in the very dire situation), the blonde takes a jacket from behind her and throws it on. 

It's when her hand is suddenly being tugged on and she's being hauled off her stool to trail unwittingly behind the blonde that Veronica realizes— over her heart hammering in her ears— the snake on the back. 

The girl wasn't wearing just any jacket. 

She was sporting a Southside Serpent jacket. 

"So you _are_ a Serpent, that's surprising." 

In hindsight, those being the first words out of her mouth as they stopped into what looked to be a small, private hallway with several doors— away from all the fighting— probably should have been thought out a bit more. 

The blonde shoots her a look, not quite a glare, and Veronica is distinctly aware of the fact the girl was a possibly dangerous gang member— but even more-so aware that she had yet to let go of her hand. 

She shrugs, gesturing to the girl with a knowing look. "Not bad surprising, just that...well, you don't look like a Serpent, _you_ have to admit that." 

The blonde's gaze began to narrow, but before it could, footfalls could be heard coming their way. Veronica's expression falls, taking a step closer to the taller girl and squeezing her hand as she internally panics with nothing to do but wait for her impending bodily harm. 

The blonde girl, it seemed, had other ideas as she quickly spun around and pushed the door open in front of them before all but shoving her inside and following. 

Veronica could tell immediately where she was. It wasn't exactly a room, the area was just a little bigger than a small closet. If the below freezing temperature didn't say anything— the fact that there was frozen food and drinks stocked up on all the shelves around them did— they were in the bar's walk in freezer unit.

She doesn't know whether or not she's shaking from being cold or being afraid as she watches the blonde press her ear up against the door they had entered through, presumably listening out for what Veronica now knew as Ghoulies. 

With curiosity, and maybe a little disappointment, she noticed the blonde had let go of her hand in the process. After a few moments, the blonde turns away from the door and faces her, her expression frustratingly devoid of emotion. 

"We're stuck here?"

The girl nods once, leaning against the closed door and avoiding her eyes, even as Veronica stood three feet in front of her. 

She suspected the blonde hadn't realized they would be so close— she almost looked nervous. 

_You don't even know each other and she's barely communicated with you_

Veronica admonishes, even if she was nervous that it probably had everything to do with the war raging outside the door and nothing to do with their proximity, though it did nothing to stop the pleasurable chill down her spine at the thought. 

She clears her throat to bring those blue-green eyes back to her. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work and the uncomfortable silence rages on. 

"Fine." She bites, crossing her arms as she shivers in her sleeveless dress before lowering herself to the ground, raising her knees and crossing her arms over them for both warmth and modesty— vowing to sit in silence until it was, hopefully, safe for them to leave. 

She doesn't even make notice when she spy's the blonde glance down at her— stubbornly following suit and looking anywhere but at her.

Not even when the blonde slowly slides down the door and mimics her sitting position does she make notice. 

It didn't last long of course.

The moment a loud bang sounded right outside the door, while the blonde in front hadn't moved a muscle, obviously used to the type of environment— Veronica had jumped, a clear three inches off the floor and somehow closer to the blonde than she had previously been. 

As in practically huddled up to her, practically in the girl's lap, pressed up against her side with a hand fisted into her Serpent jacket.

Veronica never did like loud noises.

And she had become acutely aware, once again, that the girl was a Serpent.

She could feel the blonde tense and thought about all the times she had been warned about her gang, that they always had something up their sleeves. 

A knife probably. 

Serpents were known for carrying knives in their pockets. 

_Please don't stab me, please don't stab me, please don't stab me..._

To her utter surprise, and relief, the blonde merely pulls her arm out from underneath where Veronica had squished it between her and the door behind them— adjusting so that the arm lie more comfortably, though stiffly, around her shoulders. 

The blonde was vaguely shivering too and Veronica found herself really wishing it hadn't been twenty degrees so that she could tell the difference. 

As she finally got up the courage to look up from where her head had been placed in the blonde's neck, she notes the blonde's expression hadn't changed as drastically as she expected— but there was a definite blush on her cheeks and her jaw was clenched as if she were on edge, but she was making eye contact. 

And Veronica couldn't help herself. 

"Well, this is new." She laughs uneasily as they were even closer than before and couldn't quite read the other girl's expression. "Not that I completely mind...I mean its cold and we are sharing body heat now, so..." 

She doesn't move, her body pressed against the blonde nor does her hand doesn't loosen on her leather jacket. Veronica wasn't about to move, if the blonde wasn't going to. 

And she didn't. Stiffly, sitting still with Veronica attached to her as she stared blankly. 

Veronica sighs. "You're a good listener at least." She managed to quip about the girl, before jumping again at another loud noise, jostling herself and the blonde next to her. "Sorry."

It comes out sheepishly and with no reply as usual. 

She had to distract herself and she knew how. 

"I'm not that afraid, you know?" 

Looking at the blonde, the blonde raises an eyebrow down at her latching in disbelief.

Veronica's heart jumps, because it was something at least. She swallows. 

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little bit afraid but you'd be surprised at what you see on the Northside too. Seriously, once you've seen a guy named Reggie Mantle scarf down _five pounds_ of beef in less than ten minutes while sitting in a diner two seats across from him, trust me you are scarred for life." 

Having looked away from the blonde's gaze in her animated tale, shaking her head— she doesn't notice it as the girl's lips twitch upward once again upon her ramblings. 

Not until she makes it known.

"You're strange." 

The blonde's voice is raspy and dry, like it hadn't been used in a while. 

But it was still the most beautiful thing Veronica had heard all day. 

She all but gasps, whipping her head around and practically gaping at the girl next to her, never mind that she had maybe insulted her. 

"You just spoke to me." She smiles, internally groaning that she had never sounded so desperate before but abandoning the thought as the blonde in front of her dips her head forward a little, managing to look both amused and nervous at the same. 

" _So_ , tell me your name." 

Her eyebrows raise, just about forgetting about the fight outside, wanting nothing more than to know the answer to her question. 

The blonde doesn't answer, looking away once again. 

"Seriously?" The brunette huffed. 

Nothing.

So Veronica continued fishing. 

"So you're a Serpent? That's badass..."

The blonde's eyes flicker back down to her, narrowed.

"What? It is."

_I've never been into the dark and mysterious type, but this could be a first..._

"You know I'm pretty badass myself. I made a guy cry once, simply by looking at him, and I made his girlfriend cry by telling her that her shoes were last season." 

Veronica smirks as she elicits a snort from the blonde— who shakes her head and sarcastically retorts. 

"How do you sleep at night?" 

The brunette's eyes widened, as did her grin. 

"Ha! You just said something else, oh I'm breaking you, aren't I?" She raises her eyebrows playfully. 

"Shhh." 

Naturally, Veronica carries on as if she didn't hear the girl's warning. 

"If you don't say anything, I'll just have to assume its true." She teases, maybe a little flirtatious. 

And the blonde rolls her eyes, maybe with a little mirth. 

Veronica ignores the sudden fluttering in her stomach, voice dropping to a near whisper as she sobers up. 

"So, how come you aren't out there fighting? I'm assuming that's some clearly ruthless rival gang out there and you're in here...protecting me? Don't get me wrong, if you are, I appreciate it. I wouldn't stand a chance out there, I just...wanna know why?" 

She sighs, feeling the blonde go tense, even more tense if that were possible, without replying. 

"Will you at least tell me one thing, anything-" 

"You talk too much." The blonde deadpans, seemingly out of the blue. 

Veronica nearly jumps again at the sound, though quiet, and sends the girl a halfhearted glare at the insult. Of course the small smile at the fact that the blonde had spoken defeated the action. 

"I meant about yourself? Like, what are you thinking right now?" 

She raises another eyebrow up at the blonde, who stares dully back. There's a long pause, where the brunette was sure she wasn't going to get another reply. 

"Right now, I'm thinking that you talk too much." 

Veronica snorts. It was better than nothing she supposes. 

"Very funny. The only reason I started talking was because I caught _you_ staring at _me_ , you know?" She grumbles, pulling herself away from the blonde's hypnotic gaze to stare in front of them at the bland walls of the freezer. 

That was until she felt the blonde in what she could only assume was a shrugging motion. 

"I enjoy the outdoors." 

Veronica hears offered quietly and contains her internal glee. 

"Excuse me? No WiFi?" She barely hesitates before poking a finger into the blonde's side. " _You're_ the strange one." She repeats the girl's words from earlier. 

The blonde doesn't flinch as she prods her, doesn't laugh.

But she smiles.

Not fully.

But a close-lipped smile, her blue-green eyes brightening to a twinkle— and it was like someone had stolen the breath from Veronica's lungs and breathed fresh, new, into them all at once. 

"Wow..." She voices before she could think about it. A blush immediately covering her face when she did, reverting her gaze back to the walls awkwardly. 

A beat passes before Veronica swears she hears the blonde repeat the exact same phrase under her breath. 

...

Veronica didn't know how much time had passed, she could've spent one hour or five freezing her ass off in the freezer, sharing body heat with the blonde next to her. 

In the silence, she could still hear a fight going on outside the doors.

The brunette had been tensing every couple of minutes and it was becoming obvious the girl beside her was becoming impatient. Her mind running wild on thoughts of how long the two could withstand the cold or thoughts of the blonde up and leaving her at any moment. 

If Veronica were being honest, she was starting to feel more than comfortable— her body pressed up against the blonde's side and her face pressed into her neck. 

Especially, as the blonde had begun absentmindedly caressing her bare arm with the arm that had been thrown around her, a soothing yet flustering gesture that Veronica didn't comment on—less the girl stopped her movements. The air around them felt strangely intimate. 

How Veronica was somehow being comforted and developing feelings by the blonde, an absolute stranger, who had barely spoken a full sentence to her, was becoming a growing mystery. 

A mystery her brain wasn't wrapping itself around. Her brain was starting to feel a bit fuzzy actually...it was way too cold to think, she concluded in the end. 

"Don't." 

At the single word voice, Veronica's eyes snap themselves open. She frowned, haven't not even noticed she'd closed them. 

"Here."

She looks up to see the blonde holding out her leather jacket, revealing her pastel hoodie underneath once more.

_When had that happened?_

"I-I can't." She barely stutters out the two words, shivering. 

The blonde just rolls her eyes, and before she knew the jacket was slung over her shoulders— not giving Veronica much of a choice but to snuggle into its warmth, the jacket just slightly too big for her. 

The chivalrous gesture only added to the mystery of the blonde next to her as they meet eyes, an occurrence that just _kept_ happening in the small space.

_Did the blonde like her? Even as a friend?_

She didn't know which one was more likely. 

But Veronica did know the last jackass she dated wouldn't have given her the jacket off his back if he had three, and while it was a completely inappropriate situation to be thinking anything of the sort...there was just something about the blonde she couldn't shake. Didn't want to. 

The blonde was giving her that look again, like she was staring into her soul, in the best way.

So much so, Veronica was actually beginning to feel warmer and it definitely had nothing to do with the newly acquired jacket. 

It didn't last long. 

A loud bang, certainly the loudest Veronica had heard yet sounded outside the door— for the first time, _very_ near. 

So near, both girls had been unprepared for the violent jerk the brunette made that time around, the blonde not being able to avoid it as Veronica's head shot up to hit her chin. 

The blonde groaned, closing her eyes as her own head shot up to then hit the door they were up against. 

"God! Sorry!" Veronica moves back and shouts instinctively, her hand moving up to cover her mouth at the sound of the impact. 

_"Check out the back!"_

The blonde's eyes snapped open, distinctive irritation in them, but also...a hint of fear?

" _D*mmit_ , Veronica." She hisses. 

It was the first time the other girl had addressed her by her name, Veronica revels in the way it rolls off her tongue even as her eyes narrow at the hiss, as her heart began racing for reasons other than the blonde glaring stubbornly in return. 

"It isn't like I did it on purpose." 

The blonde just shakes her head, not arguing back. The noise of shuffling outside the door put an end to either girl's argument. 

Brown eyes widen as they follow the blonde's hand reaching out for her and into the pocket of the jacket she has bestowed around her shoulders. In one fluid motion, she pulls out a pocket knife and, in one fluid motion, flicks it open. An obviously well-rehearsed maneuver, Veronica barely notes before feeling herself being slid backwards across the floor. 

If Veronica weren't terrified, and a little turned on, she would complain about the manhandling. The blonde moves off the door with her, pressing the both of them back as far as the unit would allow them— with the taller girl slightly in front of her, knife raised. 

The knob began turning violently.

While clutching at the back of the blonde's hoodie, Veronica realized the beginnings of a panic attack. Her breathing becoming erratic. 

She both admired and envied the calm demeanor administered by the other girl.

_Was this going to be where she died? In a freezer? With a girl she had developed a certainly unrequited crush on in the embarrassing span of an hour and didn't even know the name of?_

Cheryl would be so disappointed. 

"H-Hey..." 

Her voice is barely discernible over the the loud rattling of the door that was slowly but surely giving in. Her hand shakes where it holds onto the blonde's hoodie. If Veronica was going to die, she would at least do the one thing she had been wanting to do since she laid eyes on the blonde. 

The blonde looks to her, questioning but hesitant and Veronica instantly knows it's because if the blonde were to turn her head a mere two inches closer, their noses would be brushing. 

She tries to back off, Veronica doesn't let her. In one swift motion, releasing the blonde's hoodie only to latch onto the front of it instead, allowing their noses to brush. 

Veronica doesn't miss the way the girl's eyes flicker briefly down to her lips and back to her eyes, nor the new blush on her cheeks— allowing herself to feel more confident. 

"Let's distraction them." She whispers, her voice shaking. 

As usual, the blonde says not a word, but unlike usual— she didn't have to. 

In the brief moment, where brown and blue connect Veronica could read the blonde like never before. She could see the fear, the hesitancy, the confusion, the attraction, the _desire_...

Without waiting for an answer that would probably never come, Veronica surged forward and pressed her lips to the blonde's, in a soft, needy, emotional kiss— blocking out all roaring sounds in the background.

She'd never felt anything like it before.

The blonde only hesitated a second before she felt her kissing her lips moving against her's, just as passionately.

It was a lot.

Maybe all too much. Too fast. 

Veronica was scared. Yet she felt safe with the blonde pressing against her— even more than safe even, she felt something that felt impossibly like...home.

It was overwhelming. 

A single tear slides down her cheek, and then another.

And when she feels the blonde reach a single digit between them with her free hand, wiping her tears, all without breaking their kiss— Veronica realizes with certainty— if they survived, there was no going back for her. 

All too soon the door sheltering them bursts open, revealing two villainous smirking Ghoulies with metal bats and causing the girl's to pull away. The slightly dazed blonde wielding her knife protectively in front them once more and Veronica wiping her red, teary eyes. 

But one look at the boys in the doorway, their jaws dropped and gaping, and completely still— as if they had never seen two girls make out before (which in a small town like Riverdale was probably likely)— the brunette couldn't help but smirk, despite her nerves. 

"Hiya boys." She greets, coyly. 

Fortunately, it seemed to be just in time for two tall, dark men, clad in Serpent-wear to grasp onto the unsuspecting boys' shoulders and haul them back, disarming them in the process.

_Good guys?_

It took one look at the blonde beside her and seeing her sigh, shoulders relaxing in visible relief, and she allows herself to relaxes. 

She couldn't believe her not-plan had actually worked. 

"These are the last two, everything's clear." The middle-aged looking reddish-haired one informs them gruffly. 

The dark-haired younger one smirks beside him. 

"Come on, Con. Let's show these _Ghoulies_." The older one spits the name in disgust. "How we treat intruders that trespass on our territory." He proceeds to drag the teenager in his arms out of the room, the boy struggling in vain.

The other Serpent he named Con following with the other struggling Ghoulie in tow. 

Veronica had barely any time to take a breath as two other teenage boys rush in with Serpent jackets on. One tall, one short. Both of them with worried looks being shot at the blonde sat beside her. 

The blonde was amidst tucking her knife away, Veronica's eyes for the first time catching the small engraved 'J.J' initials on the side before it disappeared into the girl's sweater. 

Veronica switches her gaze to the boys slowly approaching, clearly having only just noticed her and giving her weird looks of which she assumed was the blonde girl's close proximity to a Northsider. 

Though all it took was one sharp warning glare from the blonde that created those _damn_ butterflies in her stomach again to put an end to the boys' stares. 

Seemingly coming to an understanding Veronica was not aware of, the boy's give a nod before the taller one with the slight superman curl thing going on reached down to grasp the blonde's forearm. 

"Nobodies seriously hurt." He pulls her up from the floor, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You okay?" 

The blonde nods assuringly, silent.

"That's our girl." The shorter brunette punches her shoulder playfully, smirking before his gaze lands on her again, kinder albeit slightly uncomfortable. "We'll be...outside with the Ghoulies, come out when you're...er, finished." 

The blonde nods again. Her gaze possibly more appreciative. 

The shorter one then bumps the taller boy's shoulder, who's eyes were a lot less kind when eyeing her one last time before the two filter out without another word. 

Leaving her and the blonde standing above her and who had yet to make eye contact with her alone in the small space once again. 

When the blonde does look down at her, Veronica, a still blushing mess with the blonde's Serpent jacket still hanging idly from her shoulders where she sat on the floor— the brunette gives a sheepish smile. 

And to her pleasant surprise, the blonde returns it. 

"Help a girl up, will you?" She holds out her hand, somewhere in the back of her mind realizing it had been the worst possible day to wear her designer dress. 

The thought is all but forgotten about with the sparks that she experiences as a pale hand slides into her own, dragging her up from the floor. 

The sparks were something Veronica had never m experienced before and never wanted to stop. 

With eyes locked, neither girl makes a move to let go nor put much distance between them. 

"I-I...have to..." 

The blonde was nervous, Veronica could tell, as she chews on her lip and uses her free hand to jerk a thumb behind her. 

She smiles. 

"Go do your Serpent thing?" 

The blonde nods, hesitantly— still, not making any attempt to move. 

Veronica laughs softly. "I get it. You just have a little..." She reaches up to wipe lipstick from the corner of the blonde's lips, pleased at watching the other girl turn bright red in return.

She had hoped the stain was barely noticeable to the blonde's friends. 

"Um, thanks." The girl spoke again, gaze flickering down to their joined hands— slowly intertwining their fingers.

Veronica's smile widens, squeezing the blonde's hand to get blue eyes to meet her's again. 

"You have a beautiful voice, you know that? You should use it more often." She says softly. 

"You have a beautiful face, so maybe I will." 

The blonde immediately responds before snapping her mouth shut.

Veronica's mouth drops open wide with what she was sure was an unflattering sight, but couldn't bring herself to care about at the unexpected words. 

She could feel the heat spreading from her neck, up. Of course, she wasn't as red as the girl in front of her. 

"Wow, and it's flirting with me now." The brunette teases in an attempt to recover from her shock, a grin growing on her face. 

"I-uh-um-" The blonde tries to stutter out an excuse and is interrupted. 

"No take backs." 

Veronica raises a finger with her free hand. 

It makes the blonde chuckle, visibly relaxing. 

And Veronica takes the opportunity to stand a bit closer. 

"So, when will I see you again?" She inquired, just above a whisper and with less amusement. 

The brunette could honestly say she didn't know what had got into her, being so forward, but she wasn't about to take anything back either.

Not with the cute, little nervous, smile growing on the blonde's face— her equally as blonde eyebrows rose as she closed the little distance between them a little more, so close.

Veronica could practically feel the blonde breathing on her lips as she licks her own in anticipation. 

It was only as the blonde opened her mouth— that a third voice sounded in the room. 

"Ahem."

Both girls sprang several steps back from one another, hands separating instinctively. 

A certain redheaded bombshell, in red heels and red leather jacket to match leans against the door frame with a curious eyebrow rose as she looks between them. 

The tension in the room was apparent. 

"Am I interrupting something?" 

Veronica crosses her arms, internally groaning at her best friend's great timing, no doubt done on purpose.

"Cheryl..." She warns, seeing the blonde rolling her eyes, clearly also all-too-familiar with the antics of the redhead. 

What did surprise her was feeling the blonde's hand slip boldly into her's once again, relacing their fingers. 

Veronica's gaze back to the other girl in an instant, watching her eyebrows furrow a moment as she hesitates on what to say. 

"I, um, I really should go, goodbye, Veronica." The blonde uses her name too quietly for any one else to hear, before letting the smallest smirks slip onto her beautiful features. "Strange one." She whispers softly, almost affectionately, before letting go of their joined hands and stepping back once again. 

Then before either girl could say a word, or maybe for Veronica to ask her to stay, the girl brushed pass Cheryl and out the door with an undeciphered look sent the redhead's way. 

Veronica's surprised and content grin couldn't have gotten any wider, nor could the pang of disappointment in her chest have ceased as she stared after the blonde's retreating figure. 

Cheryl scoffs, leaning off the door frame and strutting forward. 

"You know, for someone who just experienced her first gang brawl, I thought you'd be more freaked out. Not grinning like I just told you Brangelina just divorced and Bennifer is back on." 

Veronica blinks, gaze finally flickering over, having barely heard anything out of her redheaded best friend's mouth. "What?" 

" _Apparently_." Cheryl blatantly rolls her eyes. "I needn't worry, seeing as you've got my dear cousin to protect you...or is that what you two were doing in here?" Her eyes scan the brunette's attire from head to toe, lingering on the jacket she was wearing. 

"Cousin?" 

The brunette's tone was a bit higher than it's usual pitch, eyes wide, easily ignoring the girl's mocking remarks. 

"Didn't you know?" Cheryl smirks at her knowingly. An action Veronica, once again, ignores in place of her curiosity. 

"What's her name?"

Cheryl raises an eyebrow in disbelief. "Her name?" 

Veronica answers only with a pressing raised eyebrow of her own. 

The redhead sighs. "Betty Cooper." 

_Betty Cooper_

the brunette tested the name out on her tongue, deciding that she likes it. 

"Of course, she didn't tell you her name." 

_What was that supposed to mean?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" She voiced her curious thoughts aloud.

Cheryl's features morph into something grim.

"She hasn't talked to anyone in months, Veronica. It was a few months go, we had a really bad run in with the Ghoulies. Betty's boyfriend at the time, he was beaten up really badly...and he didn't make it." 

Veronica's face falls, her heart sinking at the new information, thinking about the blonde had probably gone through the past few months. 

"It was traumatic to say the least. The gang tried everything, Toni tried everything, I tried everything to get her to talk and she just hasn't." 

_Except she has_

Veronica tries, really tries, to steel the realization on her face, but it was of no use with the redhead in front of her. 

"Or has she?" Cheryl narrows her eyes on her. 

While Veronica had opened her mouth to deny what was the obvious— it was in that exact moment that she glanced down at the Serpent jacket she was wearing, _Betty's_ jacket. 

Betty must have forgotten she had it.

An idea forms.

Now Veronica was going to make sure she saw the Serpent again. 

She subconsciously squeezes the warm leather jacket closer to her person as Cheryl places an unimpressed hand on her hip. 

"I know that look. Do I want to know what you have in store for my cousin, Lodge?" 

"Probably not. So, Betty has an address, right?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...it seems you're a hard girl to find Betty."
> 
> "Do you always ask so many questions?" 
> 
> "Well, I don't go around kissing people I don't get along with. I'm sure you don't either."
> 
> "Archie Andrews, and you need to go before I call the sheriff." 
> 
> "I think I kind of trust you, Veronica Lodge."

_Final Prelude._

Lodge's were known for their resilience. 

Veronica Lodge, in particular, didn't give up easily. 

Before moving to Riverdale, fortune just mostly landed in her lap, thanks to her family's status and wealth. 

Nowadays, she worked for the things she wanted— and it wasn't easy. 

Sometimes Veronica just felt like giving up.

...and so it figures that after spending an entire week pining over a certain blonde Serpent girl and her whereabouts that she would be boredly sitting in Pop's diner, waiting for Archie to come back from the restroom, and happened to glance up from her milkshake through the clear glass windows and spot said intriguing girl. 

Veronica's eyes nearly shoot out of their sockets as she catches the blonde's blue eyes staring right back her from where she was parked across the street.

The Serpent was leaning against a motorbike, looking very much like a Northsider— if it weren't for the leather Serpent jacket she was sporting— turning her head the second their eyes met. 

Veronica could feel a grin pull on her lips.

She didn't think before she was out of the door of the diner and strutting (practically running) across the street until she stood right in front of the blonde. 

"Hey, Stranger."

Betty glances up, biting her lip— which was not _not_ extremely attractive— though Veronica could see the subtle smile she held back this time. 

"Nope, not stranger, Betty Cooper. Five years a Serpent, Southside resident, sixteen years old, and Cheryl's cousin." 

There's a mild look of surprise on the blonde's face.

Veronica crosses her arms and smirks smugly.

She had bombarded Cheryl with a million questions for a full week and it was all the redhead would tell her. 

"Still strange." Betty nods, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. 

Veronica didn't think being called strange by someone would ever make heart speed up like it did. 

Betty remembered her and was entertaining a conversation with her. 

The brunette rolls her eyes, smiling. "Still talking to me." She shoots back. 

"Nice observation." The blonde cracks a smile. 

"Thanks." 

Veronica grins. 

"Nice bike." 

She looks up and down, silently appraising the bike and its owner. 

"Thanks." Betty reaches up to scratch at the back of her neck, visibly nervous. "Also, thank you for returning my jacket by Cheryl. I would have gotten it back myself, but..." 

"Well, I would've returned it myself, but it seems you're a hard girl to find Betty." 

It wasn't a complete lie.

Veronica had in fact visited the girl's trailer, but was greeted by an older blonde witch of a woman. The woman, who she could only assumed was Betty's mother sent her away with barely a judgemental glance, slamming the door in her face before she could even explain why she was there in the first place. 

She doubted Betty received the message, having no choice but to return the jacket with Cheryl. 

She had never resented North and South side prejudices more. 

"But of course that's unimportant, because you're here now seeing as just a second ago, I saw you watching me through Pop's window." 

She quirks an eyebrow. 

"Are you stalking me, Betty?" 

The blonde girl in front of her snorts. 

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You were the one who just sprinted across the parking lot and across the street to get here." 

Veronica's cheeks turn an embarrassing red. 

"You weren't even looking that way?" 

The blonde points to the small rear view mirror attached to her bike. 

"Oh." 

Her blush deepens.

"...well, Betty, you're very vigilant." She bites her lip. 

Betty shrugs. 

"I wouldn't be a very good gang member if I wasn't." 

Veronica scoffs. 

"So, you _are_ stalking me?" 

It was Betty's turn to blush.

"I'm not _stalking_ you. I'm just...curious." 

"Uh huh. About?" 

Veronica warms and chances a step nearer and is reminded into familiar territory. 

"You." The blonde lets slip, simply. 

The brunette secretly thrills. 

"Hmm, and how'd you find me?" 

Betty says nothing, her expression unreadable. 

Veronica puffs out a breath. 

"Are you always this cryptic?" 

"Do you always ask so many questions?" 

"Cheryl told me that you were difficult. She said you once held your breath for five minutes because she didn't share her tater tots with you." 

"We were nine." Betty rolls her eyes. "And Cheryl likes to exaggerate." She crosses her arms in an almost childlike manner. 

Veronica fights back a giggle.

"You two don't get along?" 

The answer was obvious.

Betty nods. 

"We have our differences. You two are best friends, you should know how stubborn she can be. It runs in the family." 

Veronica could be stubborn herself at times. 

"How come you and I get along so well then?" She flirts, lightly. 

"Who said we do?" 

Betty raises an eyebrow, a near smirk on her lips. 

Two could play at that game.

"Well, I don't go around kissing people I don't get along with. I'm sure you don't either."

She rips off the bandaid, analyzing the other girl's expression. 

The brunette was surprised to see the blonde stammer. 

"That-it-you-that was a distraction." 

"Distraction, right, of course. How could I forget?" 

Veronica does nothing to hide her amusement. 

Betty flustered, her gaze falling to the ground. 

"Not only are you a terrible liar, but you're cute when you blush. Ever heard of curiosity killing the cat?" 

She leans forward. 

Betty's eyes snap up to her's, gaze unwavering. "I'm more of a dog person." She copies her movement, leaning forward suddenly. "And let's not pretend I'm the only curious one?" 

Veronica grins.

"Fair enough." She leans away. "So what do you want from me?" 

Betty clears her threat, also leaning back, her nervousness visibly back. 

"I want you to come somewhere, um, with me." 

Veronica blinks in surprise.

Despite the butterflies making a sudden but unsurprising presence in her stomach—the brunette glances over at the bike hesitantly. 

_Could she?_

"Right, that's a no." 

Betty started, looking seconds away from hopping on her bike and riding away. 

"I get it-"

Veronica takes her arm before she could. 

The blonde pauses, looking back at her, her eyebrows raised almost hopeful. 

Veronica gulps. "I'm not saying no..." 

"You're not saying yes."

She wasn't. 

But she really, really, wanted to. 

"How about just letting me answer for myself?" She reasons. 

Betty nods and turns, her expression uncertain. 

Veronica releases her arm as soon as she sure the blonde wouldn't run away from her and raises a skeptical eyebrow. 

"First off, where?" 

"Sweetwater River. It's not far from here, has a beautiful river and a field of grass?" 

_She said she enjoyed the outdoors_

Veronica nods. 

"I've heard of it, it's nice. Why do you want to take me there?" 

"Because..." Betty shoves her hands in her jacket pockets, they were still fiddling. "...because I'd like to get to know you." 

Veronica smiles, widely. Again. She was doing that a lot. She she couldn't help it— especially when the blonde said sweet things like that. 

"Why?" She presses, taking another step closer. 

They were near toe to toe. 

The look in the blonde's eyes say she knows what she's doing.

Veronica simply looked at her expectantly. 

Betty sighed, shoulders dropping defeatedly and a everliving red tint to her complexion. 

"Because...I couldn't stop thinking about you, since last week. Happy?"

There were those butterflies again.

Veronica ignores them in favor of elated answering. 

"Actually, I a-" 

In that moment, Betty's gaze travels over her shoulder.

"Are you here alone?" The blonde cuts her off, stoically. 

Veronica tilts her head, curious. "Why?" 

Betty nods forward, eyes never leaving the sight over her shoulder.

Veronica follows her line of sight. Her expression dropping almost instantly. 

There was Archie walking out of Pop's, sporting his usual bulldog getup, his thick eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around anxiously. 

Veronica instinctively knew he was searching for her and felt terrible she had so quickly forgotten about him.

"Your boyfriend, I presume?"

Betty distances herself until she's leaning against her bike once again, a barely noticeable frown on her face. 

But her tone said all Veronica needed to know, the brunette swivels around with a smirk.

"You'd presume wrong. He's just a friend. Jealous, are we?" She raises a teasing eyebrow.

Betty grumbles begrudgingly, looking at the ground and kicking it with her boots, rather cutely for a gang member.

"No."

It made Veronica wonder all the more how the girl could possibly fare well in a gang. She eyes the blonde more fondly. 

"Ronnie!" The voice sounds closer. 

Veronica winces. 

Betty tenses. 

Archie _seriously_ had the worse possible timing. 

The brunette reluctantly spins on her heel as the redhead approaches, crossing the street between them, breathing heavily and glaring down at her. 

"Veronica, where have you been? You know tensions are getting high between us and the Southside, you can't just..."

In an act that took him way too long to notice Betty stood behind her, Archie moves quickly, pulling her behind him— ignoring her protests.

"What are you doing here, _Serpent_?" He practically spits. 

Veronica rolls her eyes.

One would think Betty had a bomb strapped to her chest. 

There's a tick in Betty's features, her fists visibly clenching at her sides. 

"This is a public place." The blonde spits back. "I'm utilizing my right of freedom, same as you...?" 

Blue eyes narrow questioningly. 

Archie doesn't hesitate, spewing proudly. 

"Archie Andrews and you need to go, before I call the sheriff." 

Veronica watches over a broad shoulder as Betty straightens up, her face darkening. The brunette got the feeling the situation wasn't going to end well. 

But Archie continues to run his pretty, albeit _dim_ , mouth anyway. 

The redhead points left, stepping forward, just about towering over the blonde.

Betty doesn't flinch. 

"I don't want any of your people loitering around here, so just get the hell out of here, alright?" 

Veronica's eyebrows furrow at the sheer prejudice Archie was showing.

Betty made no move to leave, eyes only flickering over his shoulder to Veronica. Veronica worries her bottom lip, helplessly. 

"Hey, stop looking at her." Archie moves to the side, blocking her from view. 

" _No_." 

Blue eyes look straight into her soul. 

Veronica's heart stammers.

"What?" Archie practically growls back. 

Betty turns her gaze on him. "I said no, and I'm not leaving either." She says with finality, stepping forward so that her and Archie were practically toe to toe. "Like I said, this is a public place." 

"Listen-" 

"Archie, just leave it." Veronica sighs, yanking on his jacket sleeve an attempt to tug him away from the girl and defuse before things got out of hand. 

Archie shakes his head, pulling out of her grasp, his face flushed in anger. 

"Look." He pokes his finger into the blonde's chest forcefully, forcing her a step back. "Just because you're a girl doesn't mean I trust you and I'm going to let you-" 

He yelps.

The redhead doesn't get to finish as Betty huffs and grabs the redhead, turning him around and twisting his arm behind his back. 

Effortlessly.

The blonde's steely gaze locked into hers— and Veronica gulps, for the first time, realizing just how dangerous the girl in front of her was.

And Veronica wasn't so much as scared as she was taken back. She remains motionless. 

Archie groans, trying furiously to get out Betty's hold.

And failing. 

Betty leans forward, snarling in his ear. "Have you ever heard the name Jughead Jones, _Archie_?" 

Veronica face falls. _Jughead Jones...that was the ex Cheryl was talking about, the one who..._

"Ah." Archie winces at the ground as the blonde pulls his arm back further, he hisses.

"He was a Serpent too." Betty answers for him. "Five months ago, some Northsider called your dirty sheriff, who called some Ghoulies, who beat him to _death_."

Veronica could see the blonde becoming angrier, could feel the burning behind her own eyes. 

"You don't trust us Southside scum? Fine. We don't trust you either, but don't be stupid enough to even _think_ about starting a war with us right now." 

Betty roughly yanks his arm back more. Archie bites his lip, visibly holding on a scream— no matter how much he deserved it, Veronica worried the blonde was seconds away from breaking his arm. 

"Betty." She speaks, softly. A silent plea. 

Betty hesitates, gaze flickering over to her. Seconds later, the blonde pushes the struggling boy away, releasing him. 

Archie stumbles forward, gasping for air and clutching his arm. 

'Thank you' She mouths, concernedly watching the blonde try to cool off, lying a hand on the redhead's shoulder if only to steady him before he fell into her.

Archie uses his good arm to grab for her. "Ronnie, let's go-" 

"No!" Veronica immediately draws away from his touch and scowls in disbelief. "Archie, that was completely unwarranted and barbaric, Betty has been nothing but kind to me since we met and you harassing her because she's a Southsider is just appalling!" 

Archie looks at her equally as incredulous "Did you _see_ what she just did to me, Ronnie?" He huffs. "And how do even you know her anyway?"

Veronica frowns, seeing the familiar glint in his eye. 

At least she knew he wasn't a total bigot—just acting like a jealous asshole. 

She crosses her arms and scoffs. "You deserved it, Archie, and quite frankly, how I know her is none of your damn business." 

Archie flinches back. He looked shocked. Hurt even. 

Veronica sighs, taking a stand between him and Betty, who was purposefully looking away from the scene. 

"Betty's staying, you should leave." 

Archie frowns. "But-" 

"Bye, Archie." 

Her tone was final. 

Archie shook his head, throwing his hands in the air and storming off. Back in the direction of Pop's. 

Veronica sighs, watching the boy's retreating form before glancing hesitantly back at Betty.

Betty still looked away from her, seemingly less pissed though her fist remained clenched. 

"Hey." 

Using her thumb and forefinger, the brunette doesn't think twice before turning the blonde's chin to face her. 

Veronica thought she should be more afraid of Betty after what she'd just witnessed, but the brunette only felt her heart grow heavy as she takes in the broken piercing gaze of the girl in front of her. 

Slowly, she unclenches the blonde's fists, fingers rubbing soothingly over the painful looking red crescent marks that had been created by the girl's short nails. 

"I'm sorry." 

Veronica doesn't know if she means Archie, or Jughead, or both. 

Betty nods silently anyway, visible unsheathed tears in her eyes. She doesn't move away from the brunette's touch, instead staring down at their joined hands with an almost confused expression. 

Veronica felt a sense of deja vu from the last time she'd seen the blonde. She bites her lip and ignores the way her heart speeds up when Betty looks up, eyes are immediately drawn to it before shooting back up. 

"Um, thank you, for defending me from your... _friend_." She emphasizes the term. 

Veronica knows it was done purposely as her lips quirk up into a faint smile at the annoyed tone. 

"You know." She continues brushing Betty's hands with her own. "Sometimes, I think we've got it all backwards. Maybe us Northsiders are the bad guys." 

Betty shakes her head, taking a step forward, leaving little space between them. 

"Not you." 

Veronica hadn't expected the words. Her eyebrows furrow and her stomach flutters again. 

"What?" She utters, thrown. 

"Not you." Betty repeats, fiddling with their joined hands as she spoke. "I used to think the same thing, I didn't trust a lot of things after Jug...but that was before I met you. You're strange-"

The beating of Veronica's heart drums louder in her ears. 

"-but you _care_ , you're not bad and unlike people like your friend, I..." 

The blonde hesitates, confessing shyly. 

"I think I kind of trust you, Veronica Lodge."

The words take her by surprise again. 

"You trust me?"

Betty chews her lip, her gaze finding its way back to the ground beneath them, she nods. Another noticeable blush covering her features. 

"A Southsider trusting a Northsider she met a mere week ago, and I'm the strange one?" 

Veronica tips the embarrassed blonde's head back up to her again, an uncontrollable huge smile etched along her face. 

Betty manages to look both offended and hopeful. 

Of course, she keeps forgetting this girl is supposed to be a 'dangerous' Southside Serpent with adorable expressions like that. 

"Hey-" 

Veronica doesn't wait for Betty to finish, pressing her up against the motorcycle behind the blonde and placing her lips on hers for a second time, leaning up on her toes and hands either of the taller girl's shoulders 

She feels Betty tense up, then immediately relax into her, pressing back against her. She shifts downward to accommodate for their slight height difference, moaning as their tongues meet. 

Veronica echoes the sentiment, pulling away after a moment, grinning at the gaping blonde. 

"I like you, Betty Cooper." 

Betty visibly gulps. "I like you too?" 

Veronica raises an eyebrow. "Are you asking me or....?" 

"Telling you." Betty breaths, cutting her off with a small kiss. She pulls away, matching Veronica's cheerful grin. " _Definitely_ telling you."

"Good." Veronica licks her lips, winking. She moves forward, hopping on back of the blonde's motorbike with surprisingly little effort. "Then what are you waiting for, Betty?" 

Betty faces her, blinking in a blank daze. "What?"

"Well, my mom's not expecting me back until ten, and seeing as my schedule just opened up, I want to see this Sweetwater River."

Veronica reveals, shrugging as she negotiates coyly. 

"We can do this getting to know each other thing, then I can show you that there's more where that came from. _Not_ in that order, deal?" 

"Deal." 

Veronica thinks she witnesses Betty's first genuine grin as the word flows from her lips, it radiates from ear to ear and it was a grin the brunette thought she could stare at forever.

Veronica immediately shakes the thought from her head. 

It was _way_ too early for that. 

Betty mounts the bike, slipping in front of her and turning it on whilst grabbing for the huge helmet hanging off the handle bars. 

"Safety first." The blonde quips, half turning and placing the helmet atop her head. 

"What about you?" 

Veronica questions worriedly over the sound of the loud engine as Betty's able fingers adjusts the chin strap underneath her chin, even as warmth fills her at the blonde's concern to keep her safe. 

Wordlessly, Betty turns back around, kicking the kickstand and balancing the bike with a leg. 

It was, for lack of any better words in Veronica's usually lengthy vocabulary, _incorrigibly hot_.

Veronica allows herself to hold onto the blonde, arms locking around her waist and hands subconsciously slipping underneath the girl's jacket, accidentally brushing against a strip of pale skin underneath her shirt. 

Betty jerks immediately at the touch, one hand slipping off her handle bars where it briefly shakes side to side and almost loses her balance off the rumbling bike. 

After regaining control of her limbs, the blonde quickly moves the brunette's hands on the outside her jacket to wrap securely around her taut stomach.

A bout of laughter bubbles out of Veronica. 

"Don't do _that_ and we'll be fine." 

Betty's voice is stern, but Veronica easily spots the red in her cheeks. She presses more into the blonde's back, holding tightly onto her in attempt to make up for the blonde's reckless decision to go helmetless. 

The brunette places her head on the blonde's shoulder, voicing against her ear. Betty's smile is visible and spurs her on. 

"It's my first time, so be gentle with me.” She pokes at Betty's red cheek as she teases. "And don't pretend you don't know how to now, not after that sappy love confession you just made to me." 

That time, she peeks over the blonde's shoulder to see the other girl roll her eyes.

"You're going to pay for that one, Lodge." 

"Promise?" She retorts impishly. 

Betty grins over her shoulder, not the genuine she had been sporting mere moments ago. It was a new grin. A mischievous, dare she say _Serpent-like_ one. 

For the first time, Veronica felt a tad jittery in the blonde's presence. 

Maybe she had been a bit too sure of herself when taking it upon herself to climb onto the dangerous moving metal transport. 

"Betty..." She lowly warns. 

Betty's mischievous grin only grows wider, and while adorable, not assuring in anyway whatsoever. 

"Betty."

Betty ignores her, and instead revs the engine. "Hold on tight, babe." 

Veronica doesn't even have time to relish in the impromptu pet name, before the blonde takes off with her holding on for dear life. 

"Betty!" 

A mess of screams covered by laughter is lost in the wind as the two girls speed down the streets of Riverdale. 

And so began their story. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...is it a crime to want my girlfriend to be safe when there's a war brewing outside between her side and mine?" 
> 
> "I'm really scared that any moment, you, me, our friends, or my mom could be hurt. That we could be torn away from each other by my dad or the Serpents or the Bulldogs."
> 
> "Oh my God! It's the Black Hood!" 
> 
> "Betty...the Northside is not happy, they're rioting at the Sheriff's Station."
> 
> "Stay. Here. Veronica."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Official Chapter

_Six Months Later_

_"Your parents are out for the night?"_

Veronica clicks her tongue, her ankles crossed as she sits on top her bed and stares at the book in her lap, barely reading a word. 

The brunette held her phone between her head and shoulder, using her other hand to push up the glasses sitting on her nose as she listens to the insistent voice in her ear, amused. 

"Yes." 

_"Doors are locked?"_

"Yes." 

_"Windows?"_

Veronica rolls her eyes. 

"Ye-Betty, paranoid much?" 

Betty ignores her. 

_"Are your curtains closed?"_

Veronica glances across the room at the window installed in the wall beside her bed. The curtains weren't closed, the light of the moon cascading over her partially lit room. It was almost peaceful. 

"I don't need to close my curtains, Betty." 

_"For me?"_

Veronica scoffs at the tone, closing the book in her lap. It wasn't as if she were reading anyway. 

"Don't you dare try that cute little pout with me, missy, I can hear it in your voice." 

She practically sees Betty roll her eyes over the phone. 

_"I'm not pouting, Veronica, and is it a crime to want my girlfriend to be safe when there's a war brewing outside between her side and mine?"_

Despite the sore subject, Veronica could hear the smile in the blonde's voice when she used the term. 

And the smile that spread across Veronica's face was just as uncontrollable. 

She and Betty had been dating for six months. When Betty wasn't on jobs for the Southside Serpents or Veronica at school, the two girls spent nearly all their time in each other's company. Betty opened up to her and her friends and began talking more. Veronica felt quite proud to have slowly broken down the dark, mysterious, standoffish and silent exterior that was Betty Cooper. Six months later, the blonde girl still gave her a feeling like no other. 

It was unfortunate that while she and Betty grew closer, their sides grew farther and farther apart. 

_"Please, V?"_

"Ugh, fine."

Still smiling, Veronica huffs and removes her glasses. Though the blonde wasn't in her presence, she makes a show of standing out of her bed and moving towards her window.

_"So dramatic, Miss. Lodge."_

That time she could hear the smirk in Betty's voice and rolls her eyes. 

"I'll show you drama-ah!" 

One quick glance outside her bedroom window, caused the girl to scream and jump half way across the room—a dark shadowy figure revealing itself, eyes crossed and tongue sticking out of the side of its mouth in a satirical dead expression. 

Before Veronica could begin shouting for her parents—the mysterious figure stepped out of its shadow, clearly laughing wholeheartedly at her expense in an action Veronica couldn't hear but see to be Betty. Her Betty. 

As soon as she calmed her breathing—ending the call and throwing her phone on the bed—Veronica's eyes narrowed into a glare, stomping back towards the window to unlatch the lock and lift the sill.

"God Betty, don't do that!"

The blonde'd laughter didn't let up. Veronica could only hope her parents were well asleep in their bed. 

"You should have seen your face." 

Betty chuckles, wincing for half a second as she climbs through the opening of the window—done dozens of times before—minding the white cast that went half way up her left arm. 

Veronica grasped the blonde's good arm carefully, pulling her all the way inside her bedroom with a frown. 

With her father recently playing advocate ringleader for the North and Southsides hating one another—and forbidding her from even stepping foot on the Southside—Veronica and Betty had kept their relationship a secret for the past six months, forced to sneak around.

"I'm sorry."

Betty grins and clearly spots her puppy eyes, immediately wrapping her uninjured arm around her waist, trapping Veronica in her safe embrace.

She knew Betty really wasn't, but Veronica scoffs and wraps her arms around the taller girl's neck to return the warm hug anyway, instantly melting into her arms and feeling her hammering heart slow. 

"I can see how sorry you are, jerk." The brunette mutters into the blonde's neck, taking in her comforting vanilla scent. 

Betty chuckles as the two pull only inches away from each other, both smiling like idiots. 

"I haven't see you all day." 

Veronica abruptly breaks the silence, fingers slowly toying at Betty's ponytail. She raises a teasing eyebrow, although it does nothing to hide the small hurt in her voice. 

"You've been so busy with the Serpents, I was beginning to think you forgot about me." 

"Never." 

Betty's was instantaneous and sincere, the blonde touches her forehead to her's and Veronica knows she means it—the hurt she had previously felt in her heart promptly erases at the gesture. 

Her smile returns, and only widens as Betty unwraps her uninjured arm from around her to reach into her back pocket— withdrawing a single long-stemmed red rose.

"Happy six month anniversary, baby."

Veronica blinks, feeling her eyes misting over just a bit.

"You remembered." 

Betty snorts. 

"Of course, I remembered. Two nights ago, you wrote it on my head while I was asleep here, with a convenient side note that you loved red roses." 

"I didn't write it on your head, I wrote it on a post-it note that I _stuck_ to your head while you were sleeping. There's a difference."

"It's ridiculous." 

"It's romantic, babe." Veronica corrects, taking the thornless flower out of the blonde's grasp and playing with its gorgeous petals. "Like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, did you not just climb through my bedroom window?" She raises her eyebrows. 

"You mean the two thirteen year olds who killed themselves after knowing each other for four days?"

Veronica's chin drops at the response.

"Okay, so I changed my mind, Betty. You're not romantic."

A pale finger reaches over and lifts her chin until she's staring back up into a sea of blue. 

Betty levels her with a serious gaze.

"Hey, I'll have you know that beautiful rose you have there comes directly from your next door neighbor's flower bed." 

Veronica's heart melts, her mouth dropping open. 

"Be still my beating heart." She presses the rose over her chest and pouts. "Betty, you stole from mean old Mrs. Agnas for me?" 

Betty nods and smiles proudly. 

"I did, and as my reward, might I request a sweet kiss from the most beautiful lady in all the land?" 

Veronica grins. "You may." She leans upward, eagerly pressing her lips against the blonde's. Again and again. 

"Romeo and Juliet have nothing on us, babe." Betty mutters breathlessly in between her kisses. 

Veronica murmurs her agreement, feeling the usual lightheadedness as Betty kisses her back. As she tries to lean more into the blonde's arms, she bumps into her injured arm. 

Betty hisses. 

The brunette quickly takes a step away, worry etched along her features. 

"I'm so sorry, Betty." 

"I'm not." Betty pulls her back to her using her non-injured arm murmuring, and for the first time Veronica took note of the blonde's attire. "It's fine, babe." 

She lacked her usual Serpent jacket, which might have had something to do with it currently hanging up in the closet in Veronica's room ('borrowing' the jacket had become a regular routine for the brunette, Serpents never shed their skin be damned). 

Betty wore a plain white hoodie, an apparel Veronica swore was all she owned and Betty swore Veronica had at least half of, the sleeves were riding up and exposing the small snake tattoo on her left forearm.

Veronica frowns as she allows the blonde to pull her only close enough to not hurt her again, she strokes the blonde's opposite casted arm.

She knew Betty didn't like being babied for her recent injury. 

But how could she not? 

It was her fault after all. 

**[Flashback ]**

_When Veronica entered her room after a particularly gruesome day of school, finding a mysterious figure creeping into her window should have been the dreadful cherry on top._

_Instead, she found Betty standing there awkwardly in the center of her room._

_"Um, surprise?"_

_Veronica instantly grinned, throwing her handbag fully across the room and pulling the blonde in by the collar._

_The girls had been vigorously making out on top Veronica's bed for half an hour before the energy wore off._

_They nuzzled noses, chests heaving as they lay on top one another, sharing soft smiles._

_Veronica's spirits had been tremendously lifted._

_"Bet-"_

_Just as she opened her mouth to voice her thoughts, she could hear her father's voice outside her closed, unlocked door._

_"Honey?"_

_Both girls freeze, Betty especially on top of her._

_And Veronica panics._

_The brunette pushes Betty off her and over the side of her bed but out of sight, hearing the blonde let out a soft grunt and indignant protest, right before her bedroom door swings open revealing Hiram Lodge._

_She immediately sits up against her headboard, her arms crossed, putting on her best annoyed expression (an easy feat considering what he'd just interrupted, not to mention his recent ventures)._

_Hiram sighs, making no move further into the room while also never stepping out of the doorway._

_Veronica swallows nervously, although her features never change._

_She didn't want to guess what her father would do if he found Betty, Southside Serpent jacket and all, hiding behind his daughter's bed._

_"Sweetheart, it's obvious you're still upset with me on my decision for the Sunnyside Trailer Park and I know you don't agree with my plans right now, but-"_

_"You want to destroy innocent people's homes for money, daddy."_

_Veronica's features do change that time as she looks at the man who helped bring her into the world with disgust._

_"So many people left without homes and you don't even care. Why would I ever want to agree with your seedy plans?"_

_She thought about Betty, and Toni, and hell even the friends she made in Fangs Fogarty and the boy named Sweet Pea over the last six months, a slow but working process. Serpents didn't trust easily._

_She knows now, for good reason._

_Hiram cocks his head to the side, his eyes narrowing and face hardening._

_"There's something else, isn't there?"_

_His voice raises._

_And Veronica's heart begins doing double time._

_"Veronica Cecilia Lodge, I swear if there is some Southside boy-"_

_"What? No, dad!"_

_Veronica matches his tone and scoffs, while technically lying to the man's face._

_Her heart slows._

_He wasn't as onto her and Betty as she thought he was._

_"There better not be." He warns her sharply._

_Veronica's jaw clenches and her nostrils flare, feeling a sudden urge to protect the Southside girl listening not ten feet away from them._

_The brunette holds her glare against her father's own._

_"So now that we've established that we both disagree with one another and gotten exactly nowhere, is this conversation over?"_

_Hiram shakes his head at her, features softening ever so slightly._

_"Why can't you understand it's for the good of the town, mija? Your mother agrees. Even your friend Archie supports our campaign."_

_Veronica fights the urge to roll her eyes and then fights the urge to laugh because she knew her love was doing the same thing from the floor._

_"Of course it is, dad."_

_It was for the good of his pockets as well as his ego._

_Her mother was too afraid of him and Archie was too blinded by his feelings for her and need to get on his good side to realize._

_She laughs humorlessly, raising an eyebrow._

_"You see mami and Archie may have sold their souls to the devil, but I won't, and I will never support you."_

_Her words were final and she knew he knew he lost the battle. He wasn't going to persuade her over to his side._

_Hiram, silently and with a terrifying look of promise that Veronica chose not to analyze, left her room and thankfully closed the door behind him._

_Veronica breaths out a breath she felt as if she had been holding the entire time._

_"Betty?" She whispers, peering over the side of the bed when the blonde didn't appear._

_"He really hates me, huh?" Betty's blonde head of hair suddenly pops up over the side of the bed on her knees with a cute smile on her face, causing the brunette to jump back._

_Veronica failed to notice Betty holding her arm, wincing slightly._

_She laughs lightly, lying a placating kiss on her lips before pulling away._

_Betty slowly opens her eyes, a daze look on her features. "Okay, you know what? I can live with it."_

_Veronica laughs again. "You're cute, dork." She lays another kiss on the blonde's nose tenderly. "Sorry, for the surprise shove." She apologizes before preparing to pull the taller girl back on top of her, eyebrows furrowing when she meets with resistance._

_"Yeah...about that." Betty grimaces. "As much as I want to continue to make out, and I definitely do, maybe we can move this to a more comfortable setting." She side eyes her left arm, carefully supported with her right and bent at the wrong angle. "Like a hospital?"_

_Veronica followed her gaze, gasping._

_"Betty!"_

**[Flashback End ]**

Veronica had felt immensely guilty since. 

On top of that, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Cheryl, and Toni hadn't let the blonde live it down having taken an injury so 'hilariously' non-gang related. 

"Stop, V. It wasn't your fault." 

Betty matches her frown when looking down at her, reading her thoughts. 

"I pushed you, Betty." 

"Okay, it was." Betty moves passed her towards the door. " _But_ , you really should stop blaming yourself." 

The blonde locks the door.

They had been being more careful since the incident. 

"C'mon." Betty gently takes her arm, dragging her onto the bed with her and wrapping her right arm around her. 

Veronica happily makes herself comfortable, snuggling her head into the blonde's right shoulder. 

She sighs contently, musing. "You're such a stuffed teddy bear, how did you even get into a gang?"

Betty shrugs. 

"There weren't tryouts, V. I just danced on a pole." 

"What?" 

Veronica's head immediately shoots off the blonde's shoulder to stare at her. 

"What?" Betty blinks back. 

The girls stare at each other for a while, Veronica glaring suspiciously and Betty raising an eyebrow— the blonde cracks a smirk. 

Veronica gasps, lightly shoves at her good arm. Both of them laughing. 

They would definitely be discussing that topic later. 

"So, how's the super secretive Serpent business going with the band of misfits?" 

She cocks an eyebrow, cuddling back into the blonde's side. 

Betty snorts. "It's going. Who's asking, Northsider?" She teases, clearly avoiding the topic.

Veronica shoots her look. 

Betty sighs, shoulders slumping. 

"Okay, well, I'm not really doing much with a broken arm. We've been planning, preparing, but it's..." She takes in a breath, hesitating a few moments. "...it's getting pretty bad." 

Solemn silence fills the space between them.

Until Betty continues.

"They want revenge, for Jug, the Bulldogs and your dad, Fangs being questioned about..."

The blonde hesitates again, a shadow over her features. 

"Midge's murder." Veronica finishes for her, the brunette's voice barely a shaky whisper as she stares dully at her satin sheets. 

"Yeah." Betty breaths, looking away from her. 

Veronica heart pains. "The Bulldogs were talking today in class, they want revenge too. For Midge. They were saying an eye for an eye, they think you guys..."

She trails off, not wanting to bring up old memories of Betty's ex-boyfriend—the very thought of the either side thinking of two people's _lives_ as if some trivial back and forth made her feel sick. 

Betty nods slowly, a distant haunted look in her eye. One that reminded Veronica of when they first met.

"A murdered Southsider for a murdered Northsider." 

The blonde tenses up, an angered look on her face.

The weighted silence returns.

Veronica slowly ventures her hand down to interlace her fingers with the Serpent's and squeezes, feeling herself getting involuntarily teary eyed. 

"Betty, I'm scared." 

Betty turns to her, her features softening. 

Veronica swallows numbly, doing the same. 

"I'm _really_ scared that any moment, you, me, our friends, or my mom could be hurt. That _we_ could be torn away from each other by my dad or the Serpents or the Bulldogs."

The list could have gone on. 

But Betty doesn't let her. 

"Hey, that's not going to happen." The blonde brings their joined hands up to caress her cheek, frowning. "Your mom is going to be fine, Cheryl, Toni, Fangs, Sweat Pea, Kevin, even Archie is going to be fine."

Veronica gulps at the sudden intensity in her girlfriend's steel blue eyes. 

"And I'll protect _you_."   
  
Hit with a sense of deja vu, she was reminded of being trapped in that freezer unit all those months ago, with Betty protecting her. 

Veronica knew Betty wouldn't let anyone hurt her, even if that meant fighting against her own side. 

She tilts her head, letting a small sad smile touch her lips. 

"And who's going to protect you?" 

A brief flicker of surprise, then adoration filters on Betty's features. 

The blonde smiles. 

And instead of giving her a straight responsely, softly presses her lips against hers. 

Veronica allows it for a second or two, before purposefully laying a hand on the girl's chest to halt her. 

"You don't have to worry about me, V." Betty immediately answers her look. 

Before Veronica could protest, lips are being pressed back against hers, more eagerly, and the brunette loses her train of thought. All of her worries and troubles seem to melt away all at once. 

She moans, a strong longing sensation washing over her as the blonde's tongue wrestles with hers. Eyes fluttering open in surpise as she feels finger tips at the bottom of her shirt, butterflies where Betty's fingers lightly brush against the exposed skin of her abdomen. 

"Are you sure?" She raises an eyebrow. 

They hadn't at all gone any further than making out. 

She knew of Betty's hesitation to get close because of her ex-boyfriend and while Veronica had had her fair share of exploits with guys and girls, despite her supposed reputation back in New York, she had never actually felt inclined to do the deed. 

But being with Betty for the past six months, she felt _more_ than inclined. 

"Yes. Are you?" Betty raises an eyebrow back, her fingers stilling as she hovers over Veronica's burning body by balancing on her right arm. 

Veronica answers by crashing her lips back onto the blonde's, minding the girl's casted arm when gently pulling her fully down on top of her. 

Both girls shiver as their rousing bodies meet. 

Then a cell phone vibrates. 

"Noooo." Veronica reluctantly draws her lips away from Betty's, watching breathlessly as the blonde reaches into her back pocket for her phone shooting her an apologetic look. 

"Hey, what's up?"

Betty breaths sharply, near unintelligibly into the phone next to her. 

Veronica stares lovingly at the girl on top of her as she responds to the garbled voice on the other line. 

"I was running." The blonde lies, blinking blankly down at her. 

Veronica giggles. 

"Yes, at 10:00pm...to relieve stress." 

Veronica's barely concealed laughter grows louder, her body shaking underneath the blonde's own. 

"Shhh." 

Betty chortles. Obviously holding back her own laugh, she presses a finger to her mouth. 

"That was a car, er, engine I was passing-why are you on my case so much, Pea? What do you want?" 

Veronica quietens at the sudden furrow in the blonde's eyebrows and frown, the smile slowly slipping from her face. 

"Why? I'm busy...yeah, I know the code...okay, _alright_. I'll be there." 

Betty taps her phone and pockets it, sighing when glancing down at her solemnly. 

"I have to go, V. I'm sorry. Serpent business." 

Veronica pouts.

"I hate that phone. I hate sharing you." 

She already feeling a pang of loss and the blonde hadn't even left. She just wanted to wrap herself around Betty and be held forever. 

"I know, me too."

Betty lays a tender kiss in her neck before sitting up fully, struggling a bit with her one arm and lifts herself off the bed. 

"But you know this weekend, I'm all yours. We're going to fully celebrate our anniversary and no existence in the universe is going to stop that, I promise." She swears, taking her hand in her own to pull an unwilling Veronica up along side her towards the window she entered from. 

"Be safe, lock this window behind me. Call me if _anything_ happens." 

Veronica rolls her eyes. "Aye aye captain." She salutes, referring to the blonde's one arm. 

Betty rolls her own eyes. "Ha-ha." 

Veronica grins, leaning against the blonde and pecking her lips, lingering for just a little too long. 

"Mm...don't miss me too much?" Betty's eyes slowly flutter open, a teasing glimmer in her eyes. 

"As if, baby." 

Veronica knows she has the same sparkle in her eyes. The same stupid smile from ear to ear. 

Betty pulls out of her arms, leaning back to leave a kiss on top of her head before moving over to the window and throwing a leg over the ledge, straddling the sill. 

"Hey." 

Veronica tugs on the blonde's hoodie, stopping her seated half in and outside her window as she was hit with a sudden feeling of anxiety at the girl leaving her. She had a bad sensation in her gut. It might have been irrational to think what happened with Betty and her ex could happen to them, but she wasn't about to take her chances. 

"You be safe too." The brunette pokes sharply into the Serpent's right shoulder, a stern look on her features. She wasn't oblivious to the blonde avoiding her question earlier. "Come back to me." 

Betty takes the finger poking into her shoulder and quickly kisses her hand, smiling at the blush that Veronica knew was growing on her face as the blonde finally answers simply but earnestly. 

"I will." 

Then she ducks underneath the window pane. 

With lingering stares, neither girl lets go of the other's hand until the last second. 

Veronica worriedly bites her lip as Betty ventures out into the darkness of the night. 

"And close your curtains for gods sake, Veronica!" 

Veronica giggles. 

_I love you_

She swallows back the three words, watching Betty jog back to her motorbike parked on the side of her street— despite Veronica's protest days ago at her _broken arm._

As the motorbike roars to life in the otherwise silent neighborhood, Betty grins at her before single-handedly placing on her helmet and speeding off. 

Veronica slowly closes her curtains, but she still couldn't shake the bad sensation. 

...

The bad sensation in her gut becomes impossible to ignore days later. 

There had been several fights to break out between the Northside and the Southside. 

Fangs was arrested on suspicion of Midge's murder. 

The 'Dark Circle' had vandalized Serpent territory. 

And like a cherry on top. 

"Oh my God! It's the Black Hood!" 

Veronica felt pure white hot panic in her veins as she points up at the rifle carrying masked figure in the balcony of the town hall. 

He began firing. 

There were screams of utter terror and panicked action as people fought to duck for cover and get to safety, the mayoral debate between Fred Andrews and Hermione Lodge long forgotten. 

Veronica began trembling, frozen in place. She wasn't ready to die. She was only seventeen, she had her entire life ahead of her. She thought of her family, her parents, her friends, Betty. 

"Veronica!" 

She distantly heard both her parents scream for her, but couldn't seem to get her feet to move to get out of the line of fire. 

Before she knew it, a pair of familiar arms grabbed her by the waist, physically pulling her away from danger and to the floor behind a podium up on stage, arms still wrapped protectively around her. 

She began struggling before she noticed those arms, warm, safe arms covered by leather and a white cast. 

"Betty!" 

Veronica half shouts, half turning around and looking up to meet familiar blue eyes and blonde ponytail, relief filling her body despite their situation. 

"I thought I told you to be safe." Betty huffs into her ear.

She could feel the blonde's heart thumping harshly at her back as she sat between her legs, could see her eyes moving frantically all around the room despite her otherwise calm facade. 

It wasn't long before the gunfire was abruptly cut short and she glimpsed the Black Hood making his escape, no one with the balls to go after him. Before running out of view, she could have sworn he glanced in her and Betty's direction...

Veronica never looked away from Betty's eyes, even people could be heard coming out of hiding and gaining their bearings, she was hoping no one had gotten hurt and she was too scared to look around. 

Her own adrenaline was pumping as she leaned back into Betty, desperately clutching at her with a sudden fear in her eyes, wanting the blonde close, Betty's grasp tightened around her just a little too tight in response. 

"W-wait, Betty, my mom-"

"She's safe." 

Betty murmurs to her softly, eyes drifting upward towards the vacated balcony, nodding her head to the left.

Veronica quickly tilts to see her mother hidden next to their podium, Betty's casted hand on the older woman's upper arm, wincing only slightly. 

Veronica hadn't even noticed the blonde pull her mother down with them, more warmth settles in her belly—not seeing Hermione's expression a mixture of fear, relief and suspicion as she stares between the two teenage girls. 

"They are too."

Betty then tilts her to the right, Veronica follows her direction to see her father, Archie, and his father crouched behind another podium a little ways away. 

She lets out a breath. Her family was safe. Betty was safe... _and what was Betty even doing there in the first place?_

Before she could even fathom any possible answers to the blonde, she saw the Sheriff department coming one way and her father coming the other, yet to notice the Serpent wrapped around her.

It wasn't safe for Southsiders on the Northside. 

Feeling Betty tense behind her, it was clear the blonde had noticed her predicament as well. 

"Betty, you need to go." Her voice shook. 

"But-"

She turns again in the stubborn blonde's arms, placing both hands delicately on her pale cheeks and leaning forward. 

"I'm okay, I have my parents. _Go_. Now. I'll call you later." 

_I love you_

With some hesitation, Betty nods. 

"Okay."

The blonde's arm slowly leaves her before she stands and runs off, almost immediately disappearing into the sea of hysterical people.

A hand touches Veronica's shoulder and she blinks, seeing her mother shuffle over to her, practically hearing the cogs turning in her head. 

"Sweetheart? Who was-"

The brunette abruptly pulls her mother into a hug. 

Her trembling returns, too worked up, too many emotions hitting her at once and she feels the tears begin sliding down her cheeks. 

Hermione didn't ask anymore questions. 

...

After checking on her mother, which somehow ended in yet another awful heated argument with her father— Veronica needed to take a breather before she actually wrapped her hands around the man's neck. 

She purposely slams the front door closed as she stepped outside her house, into the dark of the night, letting out a small frustrated scream. 

"That's one way to put it. You do know some crazy serial killer is still out here, right?" 

Veronica slowly turns, Betty stood casually leaning against one of the support pillars, hand stuffed into her leather Serpent jacket. 

Her jaw drops as the blonde nonchalantly leans off the pillar to walk slowly toward her. 

Veronica quickly glances behind her before placing a hand on the Serpent's chest to push her further back out of view of the windows and into the shadows. 

Not that it would have stopped either of her parents from coming through the door any moment. 

Her eyes widen in disbelief as she scans the blonde's features. 

" _What_ are you doing on the Northside? Wearing that? Betty, I told you to stay away! Everyone in this town is on edge right now, my parents are here, some of my neighbors own _guns_ and-

She hadn't even noticed she was trembling again, until Betty pulls her into her arms. 

The brunette sighs and immediately relaxes into the embrace, her trembling ceasing. She wraps her arms around the blonde's neck and squeezes as tight as she allowed, burrowing into the blonde's shoulder. 

"I just-I don't want you to get hurt, Betty. After tonight, I-" 

The tears start to flow again, catching her words and soaking into the taller girl's neck. 

"Shhh shhh, babe. I just had a bad feeling, so I showed up." Betty holds her closer. "And I came here for you. I just couldn't leave, V. I had to make sure you would be safe." 

"You're getting that feeling too?" Veronica croaks, pulling only slightly away to be able to see the blonde's face, wiping tiredly at her red watery eyes. 

Betty's eyebrows furrow, tracing a thumb down her cheek. 

"How's your mom?" The blonde whispers, gently. 

Veronica shakes her head. "Shaken up." She scoffs, looking at the starry sky and blinking away her remaining tears. "Betty, my mom could have died tonight, and my dad, he doesn't even care, he...I don't even know who he is anymore." 

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Betty tilts her head back to her, the pain in her eyes mirroring her own. 

Veronica knew Betty was feeling what she was. 

The Serpents, her family, were being attacked, her friend was looking at life in juvenile prison, and they both almost lost each other earlier that night but...

"You saved me." She looks at the blonde like she single-handedly hung the stars twinkling above them. "You saved my mom, Betty." 

Betty flushes, lips upturning a little as she caresses her cheek. 

"Well, I didn't-" 

Veronica cuts her off, pressing their lips together. After a moment, the brunette presses her head against the blonde's, shallow breathing to match her own. 

"I..." 

_Love you_

"Thank you." 

Betty silently responds in kind. Pressing her lips to hers. Then to her chin. Her head. Her cheeks. 

"Betty..." Veronica gulps and stops the blonde, feeling heat flow through her, peering up underneath her lashes into blue twinkling eyes as they draw away from her. "I want you." 

Betty gulps.

The brunette takes the blonde's hand on her cheek, spinning back around to reach the knob on the door and peering in. She could hear her parents downstairs, still talking in the living room. 

Veronica carefully, very quietly pulled Betty by the hand over the threshold before turning to meet the girl's eyes, traveling toward the stairwell and back to the blonde. 

Betty slowly raises an eyebrow at her, silently closing the front door behind her. 

_'You're sure?'_

Veronica could only nod, maybe a little too quickly, drawing the blonde back close to her. The loving grin on her face, out of place with her red-rimmed watery eyes. 

But she knew Betty didn't care. Betty shares her grin, and starts to lean downward— right before a harsh vibrating sound pierced the hall, jarring the silence. 

Veronica holds her breath as the blonde quickly lets go of her, scrambling for the buzzing device in her pockets. 

The brunette glances worriedly down the hall for her parents as the blonde seizes her phone and glances at the screen, frowning. 

Veronica follows her gaze downward at the name. 

It was Sweet Pea. 

Which meant the Serpents.

Veronica's heart drops. 

She didn't think she would be able to handle Betty leaving her now.

Blue and brown eyes meet, the phone still loudly vibrating between them, struck with a choice to make. 

"Not tonight." 

Betty whispers, shaking her head end promptly turns off the device, slipping it back into her pocket. 

Veronica's eyes widen in surprise, even more so when the blonde abruptly scooped her up into deceptively strong arms—not minding her broken one at all.

The brunette let out a faint shriek, her heart racing erratically with her breathing as she wraps her legs tightly around the blonde's waist, arms around her neck. she couldn't keep the delight off her face if she tried. 

Betty draws her into a loving kiss, soundlessly making her way up the staircase.

Behind her locked bedroom door. Where they both knew the other would be safe. 

...

"Well, that was something." 

Betty grins over at her, wild blonde hair sticking out in every direction. 

Veronica pants next to her, with a grin next to her, she could only release a hum in response. 

Both girls lie bare in the brunette's bed, clinging to one another in an afterglow of absolute pleasure. 

Veronica was honestly surprised that her parents hadn't come bursting through the door—at the most _inopportune_ moment imaginable. 

"Thank god you're right handed." 

Betty laughs. So openly, freely. 

And Veronica stares. She couldn't help it after what they'd just done.

Betty rolls her eyes, and rolls back on top of her. "Stop staring." Her long blonde locks fall over them both like a curtain. 

Veronica shakes her head in refusal, tracing her fingers agonizing slowly up the blonde's body, from her taut stomach to the side of her neck. 

"My my, that's a lot of hickeys you've got there, B." 

Brown eyes twinkle coyly . 

Betty scoffs. "You should see the other girl." She teases, before leaning down and nipping at her neck possessively. "Mine." 

Veronica smirked at the quiet growl. She moans softly as the blonde's ministrations continue, already feeling herself getting worked up again. 

"Don't regret it, then?" The brunette manages to breath out between pants. 

She immediately feels Betty halt against her, leaning back to look her in the eyes. The blonde had that look of adoration again. 

"I will not ever regret this, _ever_ , Veronica." 

Veronica bites her lip to suppress her stupidly large grin. "Me neither." She swallows as it was Betty's turn to look at her as if she hung the stars outside her window. 

"You look so beautiful." 

The blonde voices it, with so much sincerity, so much sincerity Veronica almost let those three little words slip again. 

"Betty, I-" 

A phone goes off. Veronica's phone. 

Almost.

Betty rolls off her with a reluctant groan as she reaches over to grab her phone off the nightstand. 

Veronica, even more so reluctant, skims her eyes over the text on her home screen. 

"It's Cheryl. She's asking why you aren't picking up." She informs the blonde sitting up to rest on her elbow drily, only perking up at the last few sentences. "The police are letting Fangs go."

At that, Betty sits up next to her, eyebrows raised in happy surprise. 

As another text comes in, the brunette's frowns worriedly. 

Not oblivious to her hesitation, Betty tilts her head to the side, matching her expression. 

"What's wrong?"

Veronica chews on her lower lip, looking from her phone up into those captivating blue irises and sighing. 

"Betty...the Northside aren't happy, they're rioting at the Sheriff's Station. The Dark Circle are there, some people are hurt, they don't think they're going to get through." She grimaces, turning the screen to the blonde who eyes it.

Betty instantly starts.

" _Shit!_ Stay here." 

In a flash, the blonde was out of the bed and searching her floor. 

_Wait, what?_

"Betty!" 

Veronica also starts at seeing the other girl dancing around her room while throwing back on her clothes, which the brunette would have noted extremely impressive (and hot) with one arm, if she wasn't immediately alarmed. 

"Betty, _don't_ -" 

Betty suddenly kneels beside her bed, eye level with a dead serious expression. 

"Stay. Here. Veronica." 

The blonde's pleading tone and fearful eyes betrayed her.

But Veronica's heart knew she wasn't going to get her love to change her mind. 

So, she nods silently.

Betty nods back, standing and slowly backing away from the bed, slipping out of the brunette's window before she could utter another word. Before Veronica could get her to stay. 

_I love you_

Veronica curses quietly to herself, watching the blonde disappear from her sight as the emotion yet again wells up in her eyes. 

Her eyes drop to her bedroom floor, Betty had successfully grabbed all of her clothes. 

All articles except one.

A certain leather jacket catches her eye. 

Standing on shaky legs, bare in the moonlight, Veronica listens out for her parents still talking downstairs before moving over to the jacket, clutching it tightly in her hands. 

An idea strikes her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I just...thought we'd forgo Romeo and Juliet, figured you were a Bonnie and Clyde type of girl." 
> 
> "I'm not you letting you go out there."
> 
> "Betty!"
> 
> "I didn't want to lose you, I don't want to lose you, Veronica. I can't-" 
> 
> "Who in the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my daughter's room?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Betty's P.O.V from now on, plus Veronica's P.O.V

"Justice for Midge, Justice for Midge, Justice for Midge!" 

"Free Fangs! Free Fangs! Free Fangs!" 

They were all well and truly surrounded. There was chanting outside, from both sides, actual picket signs and screaming. All _very_ angry people. 

"I don't wanna die." 

Fangs peers out the station windows, running shaky fingers through his shortly cropped hair as he paces up and down the white tile floors, the Serpents encircling him. 

Betty sighs and places her hand on his shoulder, stopping him. 

"Fangs, you're not going to, okay? We're getting out of here." She meet his eyes, giving him an assuring look. 

Cheryl instantly scoffs, shooting her cousin a look of disbelief. "While its good to hear your voice again Betty, must you continue to spew such bullshit, seriously? What do you suggest we do?" 

Toni stood beside the redhead, eyebrows knit and arms crossed. 

"Yeah, we're literally surrounded by people who, not only want to tear Fangs apart, but _us_ too."

Fangs groans into his hands.

As Betty turned to glare at the couple, Sweet Pea comes up beside her to comfort his best friend, throwing an arm around him and looking to her with eyebrows raised for an answer that she didn't have.

"Well?" 

Betty glances around at the group all looking to her, running her own fingers through free blonde locks in frustration. None of them could ignore the chaos outside. Inspirational speeches were usually Jughead's thing, not hers. 

A hand suddenly clamps down on her good shoulder, and Betty looked to her right to see the next best thing. A small relieved smile graces her lips. 

"We do what we always do. We fight. Together." 

FP Jones declares to them all, voicing strongly. He winks down at her before facing the anxious group once again. 

"Betty's right. We stand together out there, so none of falls and we remember that in unity there is-" 

"Hey! Hey! Let me go!" 

There was a sudden commotion from the entrance that had all their heads turning, the doors opening up before quickly being closed behind a number of angry townsfolk. 

While Betty, Cheryl, Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, and FP had turned, the police barely looked up from stations as two smirking Serpent members dragged a teenage girl kicking and mouthing off at them into the station. 

Betty's ears perked up at familiar voice, standing up straighter.

But it couldn't be...

Blue eyes widen as the girl in front of them finally came into view, mouth going agape. 

She wasn't the only one. 

Cheryl and Toni glance at each other, not knowing whether or not to be amused or worried. 

"Oh shit, its about to go down." 

The pink-haired girl mutters under her breath. 

Cheryl gives her a knowing look. 

Fangs squints. "Is that the Northside princess?" Even he had to ask, despite his nerves. 

Sweet Pea snorts, crossing his arms over his chest to delightedly observe the scene that was sure to come. "And is she completely covered in hickeys?" 

Cheryl rolls her eyes, her gaze traveling over to a certain blonde who stood stock still in the middle of them.

"Guess where those came from." 

Betty ignored them all.

The blonde watched in a building confused, angry haze as her girlfriend struggled in the arms of two Serpents she vaguely recognized, but were clearly _idiots_. 

Veronica had yet to notice Betty, nor any other Serpents besides the two manhandling her into the station. 

"Sorry, we're late to the party." 

Idiot one announces, exchanging a look with idiot two, obviously pleased with themselves. 

Idiot two looks to FP, smirking. 

"Look who we found sniffing around behind the station, looking for a back door. She's a Northsider, Hiram Lodge's _daughter_." He spits, leaning over and sneering at the girl. "I'm thinking maybe we can use her as leverage, you know get the Northsiders to let us through with one of their own. We might even get us a pretty penny from her daddy." 

Veronica sneers back, attempting to snatch her arm out of his grasp, only for him to tighten his grip. She hisses in pain. 

Betty moves, but was stopped by FP putting an arm out in front of her. The man's expression unreadable.

Idiot one pulls at Betty's leather jacket around the scowling brunette a little too roughly. 

"And look, she's even wearing our skin, a legit one. Apparently she got herself a disguise." He scoffs, glaring back at her and probing. "Who gave you the jacket, princess?" 

When Veronica refused to answer, he made a threatening step forward that quickly made Betty shove FP's hand off her, growling. 

"I did!" 

Betty crosses the distance between her and the Serpents in seconds, giving idiot one a fierce push with her uninjured arm, propelling him backward and making him lose his grip on the brunette. 

"Don't you _dare_ touch her again." 

Idiot two releases Veronica's other arm in sheer surprise at the aggressive act.

"Betty!" Veronica snaps herself out of her shocked state, before curling her arms around the blonde's neck.

"Thank god, you're alright." 

Betty held the smaller girl back, breathing in her sweet scent. 

Just like that the blonde all but forgets the half surprised, half knowing members of her group. Even the mob of people outside. 

"V." She breaths into the brunette's hair in utter disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here? _How_ are you here?" 

"I snuck out." 

Veronica thought it was probably the scariest things she'd ever done with a killer on the loose and a mob calling for blood. 

"Veronica!" Betty pulls away, resting her hands on her shoulders, eyebrows furrowed. "God, you could have been killed. Did they do anything to you?" 

The blonde glares fiercely over her shoulder at the frowning idiot one and idiot two. 

"No, no." Veronica tilts her head back to her, eyes hopeful as she shrugs. "I just...thought we'd forgo Romeo and Juliet, figured you were a Bonnie and Clyde type of girl." 

Betty continues to look down at the brunette in disbelief, the girl in front of her was an incredible mix of amazing and foolish. 

"So that's why you're missing your skin, huh Betty?" 

Idiot one cuts in, his tone angry.

Blue pools darken, gazing at Veronica with a far away look in her eyes as the idiot continues. 

"Because you turned on us, your own family, for bedding some white privileged b-"

Before Veronica could get a tight grip on her, Betty flew at the boy who was easily twice her size, slamming him up against the station wall with her good arm pinned across his neck. 

The brunette gasps, looking around to see if any of the Serpents were going to step in to break it up.

Choni and Sweet Pea only looked on proudly, Fangs still looked scared out of his wits, and FP was as unreadable as always.

Even idiot two looked on without making a move to help his friend. 

"You wanna finish that?" Betty glowers.

Idiot one glowers back, ready to requite.

"FP." 

Veronica voices, turning to glare at the man.

She'd only met him a handful of times, but she knew he was a good man that cared, and Betty was like a daughter to him. 

FP nods gruffly before stepping in, placing a hand either of the members of his gang's shoulders and separating them. 

"Alright, that's enough." He growls deeply when the two seemed unwilling to move. "Hey, break it up, now! Before I throw you both to the wolves out there myself."

Finally, Betty and the idiot pull away from each with one last shove from the blonde. Veronica immediately pulled the fuming girl back to her. 

"That's your warning, kid." 

FP points a finger at Betty with the empty threat. 

Veronica rubs soothing circles at the blonde's wrist, not quite liking the murderous look in her usually loving eyes, at least when directed at her. 

"Calm down, Betty, it's okay."

She whispers quietly, pleased to feel Betty begin to relax at her touch. 

"FP, are we going to use her for leverage or not?" 

Idiot two speaks up, rolling his eyes in disgust. 

"Not." Betty tenses again, glaring at FP and everyone else who might agree as Veronica squeezes her hand. "No way are we doing that." The blonde all but warns, stepping half in front of her. 

Veronica would have swooned if she weren't scared. 

"Yeah, back off man, she's not apart of this." Sweet Pea steps up beside her. 

"I concur." Cheryl adds, defending her best friend with a piercing glare. 

"Come on, Betty you're going to choose her over us just 'cause she's your girl? That's violating the code! Tell her FP." Idiot two protests, scoffing. 

FP straightens up to his full height, stepping in front Betty and Veronica and snagging both boys by the collar of their jackets. 

The idiots flinch, fear filling their eyes. 

"We don't capture and harass innocent teenage girls. We're definitely not using her as a pawn because of something her father did. _That's_ violating our code, and if it happens again, you'll be helping pick up each other's _teeth_ from the floor, do you understand?" 

The boys nod, clearly terrified at the look in the man's eyes, and Betty and Veronica's shoulders drop in relief.

FP nods once in acceptance before releasing them, leaving them to scramble away as he turns toward the couple, grasping protectively at one another.

The mob was getting rowdier outdoors.

"Betty, you have five minutes, get rid of her." 

Betty nods, quickly taking Veronica to the side and out of earshot. 

"V, you really shouldn't have come here. I'm not letting you go out there." 

Veronica glares, crossing her arms over chest. 

"Well, I'm not letting you go alone, so tough." 

Betty glares back, huffing. 

"Except, I have a gang with me and I'm not willing to lose you, V. I'm expendable, you're not." She argues.

Veronica's eyes soften, slowly lowering her defensive stance. "Betty, that is the sweetest, dumbest, thing you've ever said to me." She shakes her head, gently taking the blonde's face in her hands and ignoring all the eyes on her. "Ever think that maybe I'm not willing to lose you either?"

Betty's gaze softens and Veronica raises a fierce eyebrow. 

"And you are _far_ from expendable, Betty. Don't you dare. Maybe we've only been dating for six months and maybe you don't care about you, but _I_ care about you. If you jump, I jump." 

She meant every word. 

"V." 

Betty breaths out, face twitching in a way Veronica knew was when the blonde was trying to hold back her emotions.

The brunette smiles. 

"I mean it, Betty. What do you say you let me join you and your band of misfits, just for tonight?"

"While, I don't appreciate the name." 

The sound of FP's voice cuts in, causing Veronica to wince guiltily and drop her hands, both girls to turn to look at the man watching them a few feet away. 

He clears his throat. "I do think you should let her join us, Betty. The more people on our side, the better." 

Betty blinks in surprise, as does Veronica. 

Though, as far as FP knew the girl by the name of Veronica was the one who got Betty talking again, brought her back from that all too familiar pit of sadness after he lost his son. He could only wish he had someone like that, but he would rest assured Betty did. 

"Me too."

Sweet Pea was first to agree, raising two fanged fingers curled in the air, smirking. 

"Me three. Plus with blondie here one arm down, we could use the help." Toni mirrors the gesture, sending her a wink. 

"Anything to keep those vultures off my back out there." Fangs shudders, doing the same. 

"She's a scrapper, we've fought enough times, and I've bruises to prove it." Cheryl smirks, placing her own fingers in the air. 

Veronica vaguely remembered Betty explaining the gesture to her, it was a sign of acceptance. She feels her heart warm. 

Betty's does the same, but she was still hesitant. 

FP levels her with a grave look.

"Betty, Jughead was my son. Believe me, I know how it feels to worry about someone you care about in a situation like this, but we can't live in fear. Not forever." 

Veronica feels Betty's chest hitch and squeezes her arm, until the blonde starts breathing again. 

FP gives the brunette an encouraging head nod before stepping forward, placing his hand out, palm down. 

"In unity, there is strength." 

Everyone looks to Betty. 

And Betty looks at Veronica, still giving her that hopeful stare biting her lip. She sighs, grasping the brunette's hand and interlocking their fingers. 

"In unity, there is strength." The blonde echoes, placing their hands on top of the man's, all the while keeping her eyes on her girlfriend.

Veronica smiles. "In unity, there is strength." She repeats watery. 

Joined by Cheryl, then Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, and finally the two idiots. 

"In unity, there is strength." They repeat. 

"For Jug." FP grounds out, looking each and everyone of them in the all. 

"For Jug." 

The entirety of the gang, plus Veronica, echo strongly back. 

They head in determined, yet nervous energy, towards the station doors, all huddled protectively around Fangs. 

"Here." 

Betty's voice hovers next to Veronica's ear, hurriedly pressing a cold metal object in her hand. 

The brunette looked down at a small pocket knife, engraved BC. 

In the blonde's own hand she held the name knife, though engraved JJ.

"Just in case." She assures her at the slight hesitation in her eyes.

Veronica nods, quickly pocketing the object and hoping she wouldn't have to use it— because she certainly didn't mean Bonnie and Clyde, _literally_. She presses her mouth to Betty's, grasping her hand tightly in hers. 

Just before the doors opened up. 

In truth, the fight was far too quickly over before it even started.

Veronica's ears were swimming immediately as she and the others threw themselves out into the disorderly crowd. She felt herself being tossed about side to side, trying desperately to keep her hand in Betty's. 

As much as the gang tried to cover each other, the angry masses were just too much against the eight of them— and they were split apart. 

Veronica felt as if her heart had been physically ripped away as Betty's hand was forcefully wrenched from her own. 

"Betty!" 

She shouts, finally pushing back against the crowd surrounding her, she knew her body would have hundreds of bruises from stray elbows and fists the next day but her mind could scream in panic at losing her love to the crowd. 

"Betty!" 

Unfortunately, her scream was no match against the uproar. 

"Veronica!" 

Neither was Betty's. The blonde had been throwing fists and elbows to get back to the brunette, dread filling her as she failed to catch sight of the girl, her vision blinded by a new face every time she tried. 

"Veronica-" 

A shot was fired. Cutting off the sound of the blonde's voice. 

And instantly the entire mob falls deafeningly, eerily silent.

Betty falls. 

Veronica's heart hammers against her ribcage, turning her stomach. 

Where was Betty?

"Betty!"

She runs through the people, picking up speed, easily as the crowd hastily scatters at the sound of a gun. 

The brunette barely notices the only group left were the gang and a few shocked stragglers. 

But it took her mere seconds to spot Betty.

The blonde was lying on the asphalt, on her back, cradling her left arm and groaning. 

"Baby!" Veronica slid to her knees beside her, not even feeling her knees being scratched up by the pavement, tears welling up in her eyes. "Betty..." She cups her face, eyes frantically checking the girl over. 

From what she could see, Betty had a split lip and a mildly deep cut that ran along her forehead. She cries, practically squeezing her arms around the blonde's neck. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine." 

Betty gasps, allowing her to help sit her up vertically. She simultaneously checked the brunette over, ensuring herself that she was unharmed.

"It wasn't me." The blonde assures the teary eyed brunette, painfully removing her hand from her pulsating casted arm to squeeze her back. 

Veronica's chest heaves in relief. Her tears flow in relief, hugging Betty close to her—Betty's head buried in her chest, the brunette basically straddling the blonde's legs. 

"Someone knocked me down, i...it..."

Betty goes stiff in her embrace.

Slowly, the blonde draws herself away to glance over her shoulder. 

Veronica follows her gaze, the blood draining from her face, her breath hitching. 

"Oh." She breaths, her stomach dropping. 

A few feet away from them lay Fangs Fogarty, body scarily still, the remaining Serpent members kneeling over him. 

"Fangs..." 

Veronica's eyes flicker despairingly over to her grief-stricken girlfriend, while Betty seemed not to be able to take her eyes off the sight in front of her. 

"Betty..."

"V. I-I-I-" 

Finally, blue eyes seem to flicker back to her, but only in a panic hazed state. Betty shakes her head hurriedly, tightening her grip on her hand. 

"W-we have to go." 

Veronica frowns. 

One moment, she was kneeling on the ground prepared to console Betty— the next, she was being pulled along the lot, barely keeping up with the sprinting blonde. 

"Betty!" She shouts, not having to look back to know she drew the attention of the others but not particularly caring in concentrating on the state of her fleeing girlfriend. "Where are we going!?" 

Betty didn't answer. 

Either she hadn't heard her or chose not to answer. 

Puzzled and worried, but trusting her girlfriend, Veronica let the blonde lead her until the girl's motorcycle came into view, the vehicle was parked right across the street from the station. 

They were just across the dark road, before Betty abruptly stops in her tracks. 

With heart racing rapidly, Veronica halts right before crashing into Betty's backside, eyebrows knitting as she peers over the blonde's shoulder and gulps. 

There stood Archie, the redhead stood between the two girls and Betty's bike, wooden baseball bat in hand. His expression pinched. 

"Archie." She tentatively says his name half pleading, breaking the tense silence. 

Things had certainly been awkward in the past six months since Betty and her had begun dating and Veronica made it clear to him who's side she was on. The two had become somewhat distant, but despite his sometimes terrible judgement at times, she knew Archie was good. Too good to harm them. 

She sees him hesitate, the bat in his hand dropping just a few inches and keeps a tight grip on the blonde next to her unlike the last time.

If he made a move, Veronica knew Betty would fight, and it wouldn't end well—especially if she had to come between them.

Archie hesitates for a few more moments before he quite literally bowed out of the way, stepping aside.

With no word, Betty steps passed him, climbing onto her bike and throwing on her helmet, revving the engine. Veronica quickly follows. 

"I'm sorry." The redhead whispers regretfully, stepping back, meeting her eyes only. She knew his words were sincere. 

Veronica says nothing, but nods. 

Right before she took off down the roadway, clinging to her emotionally reeling girlfriend to where she didn't know. 

...

It felt like they had been sitting there for hours.

Outside of the hospital, nestling on a wooden bench bathed with bright lights from the facility. Though the parking lot was mostly empty. 

Veronica holding Betty as she cries silently against her, the tears flowing down her cheeks like quiet streams. 

Her heart being crushed with every small sob that manages to escape the blonde clinging to her. With every glance she took at the girl's cut up face, smeared in dried blood that the brunette barely managed to poorly staunch with a small bit of paper towel she'd found. With every thought she had at Fangs, so young, lying in a hospital, causelessly fighting for his life. 

She had been lucky enough to convince Betty not to take her home and disappear to God knows where. They had circled back around to the hospital the moment Betty had gotten a terse text from FP telling her that Fangs was indeed still hanging onto life and to get her ass to the hospital before he tracked her down himself. 

"Betty..." 

Veronica tries and fails to blink her own tears away. What could she possibly say to the girl who almost and still could lose someone she considered her only family? 

When Betty abruptly pulls out of her arms, breathing erratically, she hurriedly presses a hand over the blonde's racing heart— taking Betty's uninjured hand and pressing it over her own heart. 

Veronica knew the signs well enough to know the beginnings of a panic attack happening when she saw one. 

"Hey, hey. Betty. Breath." 

She keeps her hand over the blonde's heart to match her pace, the other coming up to cup the girl's face and turning watery, panicking blue eyes to face her soothing. 

"Just breath for me baby, _please_. Match me, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The brunette tries to keep her own desperation and panic out of her tone. 

And when Betty nods frantically, practically staring through her but having heard her— she fights a sigh of relief. 

It felt like hours before she felt the heart beneath her palm slow, along with Betty's erratic breathing. 

Veronica pulls back, but only slightly to take in the blonde's expression, a no longer panicking one but once again fragile and grievously heartbroken.

"FP was right."

Betty hadn't spoken in hours. Veronica had gotten familiar to the silence. 

So much so that when her girlfriend's voice, raspy and hoarse from extensive crying, sounded through the cool night—the brunette almost startled before she gave all of her attention to the blonde waiting for her to continue. 

But Betty didn't look at her. Staring aimlessly out into the distance of the night. 

"What do you mean, Betts?"

Betty visibly hesitates, turning to her. 

"I am scared, and fearful. All I have ever had was my detached mother and a gang my entire life. I didn't think I wanted to or even _could_ love..." 

The blonde's lips stretch into a small dejected smile and Veronica's solemn expression drops even lower. 

Betty chuckles humorlessly. 

"Until I did. I _really_ did. And I was so happy, for the first time ever, I had someone who I loved and someone who truly loved me."

The smile drops instanteously. 

"Eleven months ago, I lost that someone." 

A tear slides down the brunette's cheek, she hastily wipes it away. Why did she get to cry when it Betty who had been hurt so much? 

Betty's eyes continued to look through her for a moment, then downward. 

"FP, Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, and F-Fangs, they all tried when...but I was just-" Her voice broke. "Too sad, and I..." 

Veronica's heart plummets. She knew what Betty was going to say. She knew it, but she really wished she didn't. 

"Betty." She chokes shaking her head, a shaky hand coming to cover her mouth, not wanting to believe the inevitable words. "You didn't." 

Betty's eyes return to her. 

"I thought about it, ending it." The blonde admits weakly, taking one of the brunette's hands and interlocking their fingers. "I felt like I didn't have anything to live for before." 

Veronica squeezes the hand in her own almost painfully, as if her actions would keep her there with her. 

_Before?_  
  
"What changed? Wh-why didn't you..." 

Suddenly, Betty flashes her a small grin. Still a little dejected. But real. 

"I met this strange girl at a bar, who just wouldn't stop talking to me no matter how many silent hints I had given her." 

Both girls laugh a little watery, before settling down. 

"I met _you_." 

Betty chews down on her lower lip, gaze twinkling upon her enough to make Veronica's face heat up. 

"After Jug, I never thought I'd..." The blonde shakes her head, eyebrows furrowing as she squeezes her eyes shut. "You were so so beautiful and easy to talk to and you _cared_ about me. Like Jug, but...not like Jug." 

Blue eyes snap open in wonderment and Veronica frowns. 

"Because no one, not even he, had ever looked at me the way you did, still are." 

Betty releases her hand and brushes her cheek, wiping a few escaped tears. 

"I feel... _so_ much for you. My reason to live..." 

Veronica's features soften. Wanting desperately to tell her love that the feeling was all-too mutual. She, once again, gripped the hand on her cheek.

"And tonight...Fangs is my brother, but all I could think about was you when I saw him on the ground bleeding and how I-I could've lost you _twice_ -" 

"Betty, don't..." She tries.

"That's why I ran." The blonde continues anyway, expression twisting in frustration. "I know, I know it was cowardly and I'm going to get shit from FP and the other Serpents, but..." She falters, pleading. "I didn't want to lose you, I _don't_ want to lose you, Veronica. I can't-" 

"You won't." Veronica promises fervently, driving forward and pressing her head against the troubled blonde's. "And running away does not make you a coward, Betty. You were scared and that's okay. I'm scared too, my girlfriend is in a _gang_." She smiles softly. "And as hot and badass is that is..."

Betty laughs a little. 

"Everyday I'm scared that I'll lose you too." The brunette whispers the words, more solemnly. 

To which Betty frowns, vowing. 

"You'll always have me, Veronica." 

"Then we will always have each other."

Veronica's smile returns, pressing herself further into the blonde's space.

"Because I feel so much for you too, Betty. And maybe it won't always be okay, stuff is going to happen, but as long as we have this..." She breaths, her tone every bit of loving as it was hopeful. "I feel like everything is going to be okay. Has so far, hasn't it?" 

Betty nods slowly. 

"You know, with my dad...your mom...Archie...the Serpents...our Southside and Northside differences...hiding our relationship...need I go on?" 

The brunette goads, arching a meaningful eyebrow. 

Betty rolls her eyes. "Alright, alright, you're right." She grins. 

Veronica smirks. "Well, I'm never wrong." She shrugs. 

And before the blonde could laugh, she pressed her lips against hers. Betty doesn't hesitate to return her actions, rather passionately.

When the girls pull away, they're both flushed and teary. 

Veronica watches dazedly as Betty clears her throat, taking in a shaky breath, lips quirked up into a minusculed hesitating smile. 

"Veronica, I..." 

A phone vibrates. 

Instantly, uncertain blue and brown eyes flicker downward. 

Betty's phone. 

That could only mean one thing. 

Veronica holds her breath as the blonde hesitantly removes her hand and reaches into her pocket and retrieves the device, wasting no time in glancing at the screen. 

"It's FP, Fangs he..."

Veronica felt herself growing sick as she scanned her girlfriend's grave features. 

But then Betty grins in disbelief. 

"He's stable. He's going to be okay." 

Veronica's chest heaves as she exhales in relief.

"Betty!" Her grin matches the blonde's as she throws her arms around her neck. 

"V!" Betty's left arm goes around her waist in glee, before she knew it standing and picking the brunette up several inches off the pavement, spinning her around. 

Veronica yelps, giggling before making the blonde put her down, lying a quick kiss to her lips. 

"Come on." 

She takes Betty's hand, promptly leading them into the entrance of the hospital. 

"Fangs Fogarty." 

Betty gives the name to the first nurse they see at the front desk. An older, white-haired woman with kind eyes. 

She types a few things into the computer in front of her, while questioning them. 

"Family?"

"Yes." Betty answers immediately. 

The nurse glances up, a soft knowing look on her features. She looked them over and Veronica knew they probably looked more than worse for wear, a cast arm, bruised and cut, wild hair, and tear tracks. 

Still Betty raises her eyebrows hopefully, Veronica in tow. 

Wordlessly, the nurse clicks a few more keys on her keyboard before lowering her voice. 

"Your friend is in room #220. Unfortunately, the room already has four other 'members of his family' in. So, only one of you will be allowed to go in." 

The couple turn to each other. 

Veronica lays a delicate hand on Betty's cheek. 

"You go. See Fangs, come back in one piece." 

Betty frowns, squeezing the other hand in hers. "But..."

"No buts." 

Veronica could practically see the worry bouncing off the blonde, smiling assuringly. 

"I'll be safe out here. Serpents, Northsiders, not even the Black Hood would be bold enough to try anything in the middle of a hospital waiting room filled with cops and doctors." 

She was sure the worse she'd have to endure were the dirty looks being sent her way, for the Serpent jacket still around her or the result of typical small town homophobia, she didn't know or care. 

Betty was, as usual, her only focus. 

Veronica preens, pinching the girl's cheek.  
  
"And anyway, I joined the Serpents tonight, and _survived_ a riot. I'm pretty much a bad ass too now, so I think I can handle myself." 

Betty scoffs, batting her hand away. Then abruptly pulls the brunette into another hug. 

Drawing away from each other, the girls share meaningful look.

"So, B...am I like officially apart of the squad now or...?" 

Betty snorts, dropping her arm all at once and walking off down the long white corridor, a small smile pulling at her lips. 

Veronica watches her, a loving smile on her own lips. 

The nurse motions her to the waiting area. She nods gratefully before seating herself in wait, making herself comfortable in a large white chair amongst several others in their various emotional states. 

"You two make a beautiful couple." The nurse from the desk, yet again, sends a kind look her way.

The woman winks and Veronica feels her smile stretch wider, crossing her legs and opening up a magazine. 

"Thank you." 

Maybe things would be alright for her and Betty after all. 

...

Betty huffs tiredly. 

It was very late.

And firemen carrying her limp half asleep girlfriend over her shoulder and very quietly through her open window with one fully functioning arm to avoid her parents was no easy feat.

After lying the brunette gently on her bed, crumpled from their earlier activities, she made quick work in changing the girl into a pair of comfortable shorts and t-shirt before tucking her into her ridiculously large bed. 

If any of the Serpents could see her now.

Her musings were interrupted by cute little snores coming out of the beautiful slumbering girl she stood over. _Her_ girl. 

Betty chuckles quietly, bestowing in her mind to tease her girlfriend about it later, before plucking her stolen Serpent jacket off the side of the bed. 

"Sorry babe, I'm going to have to have this back." The blonde whispers down to the Northside girl, a virtually deaf audience. 

She hisses in pain as she dons her skin, feeling the leather stretch around her bruised, tired, and sore muscles—the adrenaline of the day she'd had was officially wearing off.

It was obvious that the war was far from over, but in that moment, all that mattered was that Fangs was alive and Veronica was unharmed, both of them, physically at least. 

_Veronica..._

Her features soften, her pain temporarily ceasing. 

_Beautiful, caring, willing to follow her into a pit of danger sight unseen and stuck by her..._

Betty felt so many things for the girl she had never felt with Jug. She didn't feel guilty, she knew Jug would want her to be happy. 

And happy she was.

"I love you."

She reveals quietly, brushing smooth dark hair out of the girl's sleeping face. 

"Love you...don't...don't go..."

Nimble fingers grasp around the end of her jacket, tightly fisting the material and keeping her place.

Betty's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, her heart instantly hammering a little harder, a grin spreading across her face. 

But did a love confession count if the other person was half asleep and probably had zero clue as to what they were saying?

The blonde sighed but her a smile only slipped a little, deciding it was yet another topic she would bring up to the brunette at a later date. 

She wanted to stay, what she would give to just flop down in bed next to her love and pass out from exhaustion but that could never happen. 

So, Betty gently pries the girl's fingers out of her jacket. 

"I'm sorry I have to go. Your parents are here and you know my mom and the Serpents will get suspicious if I don't get home tonight." 

Veronica mumbled incoherently, her features scrunching in trepidation for a brief moment before her expression smoothed out. 

Betty was enamored—the brunette looked every bit of a sleeping angel, with the moonlight glistening off of her and a small peaceful smile on her face. 

Betty felt the same emotions wash over her at the sight. 

Maybe things would be alright for them after all. 

Leaning down, Betty pressed her lips lightly against the girl's head, giving her one last once over before turning back to her exit. 

As stealthily as she could manage. 

But vigilant, not so much. 

The blonde failed to see the second shadow that fell behind her. 

It took a mere two steps towards the window before a light cut on, casting a brilliant glow over a partially darkened room— and her frame. 

Betty froze at the voice that met her ears. 

"Who in the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my daughter's room?" 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I suggest you start telling me the truth." 
> 
> "I'm dating your daughter." 
> 
> "You went behind my back."
> 
> "Don't let me go." 
> 
> "And I'm all out of bubblegum."

Hermione Lodge.

Wielding a bat.

Betty's first compulsory inappropriate thought as she turned around was what was it with Northsiders and their threatening with wooden bats? 

Her second thought, less sensible than the last, was that she really hoped the woman in front of her couldn't tell what she and her currently passed out daughter had gotten up to earlier just mere meters away from where she was standing. 

And then finally,

_Shit, run you idiot_

Being a Serpent and all, Betty had plenty of getaway experience— but all it took was one speedy anxious glance over her shoulder at the bedroom's still opened window to indicate to the bat-wielding woman she was ready to bolt. 

Betty's boots weren't even halfway off the ground before Hermione leveled her with a hard stare, words leaving her mouth in just above a whisper. 

"Don't even think about it." 

Betty stopped once again and gulped. So, it seemed it was all Lodge woman that had that effect on her when demanding things. Still, the blonde kept her expression as blank as she could possibly manage and not as caught and panicky as she was. She nods slowly in compliance, raising her right hand and her casted left, painfully, in surrender. 

Hermione's gaze narrows suspiciously, nodding out the door and into the hall behind her.

"You, with me now, or I'm calling the police."

Betty clenched her jaw tightly, but kept her hands up as she follows the order, warily walking pass the woman still threateningly holding the bat out at her and into the dimly lit hallway. She allowed herself one glance back at her peacefully sleeping girlfriend in hopes that she wouldn't wake up to find her mother had bludgeoned her to death and brung her father along to help hide the body. 

With Hermione following closely behind her, she cautiously made her way down the staircase she had only been up once and into the brighter lit living room, the blonde took the time to take in the cozy rich decor of the home. It was all fancy woods and marble tabletops, silk sofas, and luxury looking paintings. 

If Betty were one of those snooty-nosed posh types she would call it _exquisite_ or something _._

She could see where Veronica got her tastes from.

_All this_

Betty couldn't help but to think while taking in the sight. 

And the girl still wanted to be with her and her beaten up little trailer.

A wave of love and affection hit the blonde square in the center of her heart. 

Unfortunately, the warm feeling only lasted to distract her long enough to meet the edge of the room and for the woman previously behind her to stop right in front of her—bringing her back to harsh reality. 

Warily dropping her tired aching arms, Betty could feel the sweat forming on her palms as her girlfriend's mother silently and unabashedly scanned her over and fully took in her appearance.

With her Southside Serpent jacket, bruised and cut up face, split lip, and arm cast...the fresh blood that stained the collar of her white shirt. 

It didn't take Dr. Phil or Oprah to grasp that it was possibly the worse way to meet your girlfriend's mother for the very first time. 

Betty couldn't quite read the smoothed over expression on the woman's face but she thought she saw her hard features soften a little as her brown eyes finally met her undoubtedly red-rimmed ones. They were a mirror reflection of her daughter's. 

"What happened to you?" 

Betty blinked, not expecting the question of all questions could have been asked. A brief flash of surprise crossed over her features before she smoothed them over and put her guard up once more. 

"I...It's a long story."

She hesitates, voicing cracking embarrassingly as she spoke for the first time. A mixture of exhaustion and some indefinite amount of time spent crying. 

_Get a grip, Cooper_

She scolded herself.

The blonde had been in tougher situations before, she just had to play along until she could make her escape. Blue eyes subtly roamed around the room. There was no door in sight other than the obvious front door she knew was behind her she could probably easily escape from, but then she would risk having the cops on her ass or possibly a physical altercation with a wooden bat and Veronica's mom of all people— both of which were the last things she wanted. 

Hermione looked just as unimpressed with her answer, pursing her lips and keeping her eyes narrowed. 

"You know, you look familiar..."

Betty felt every muscle tense, pulse speeding up involuntarily as the woman began her conclusions. 

"Do I, though?" The blonde's lips stretch into a humorless sarcastic smile as she stood back. 

Hermione merely clicks her tongue, matching her step with a step forward. 

"I'm pretty sure it was _you_ that I saw at my campaign tonight, you pulled me and my daughter behind that podium. You were practically wrapped around Veronica." 

Betty inwardly curses.

The brunette woman's voice fell flat, but her eyes seemed to widen a bit curiously. "Why?" She emphasizes the one word with the bat pointed directly at her. 

Betty tried her best to maintain her dry smile, while shifting anxiously on her feet. How the hell was she going to get out of this one? 

"Uh, that's an even longer story, Mrs. Lodge." She answers curtly. 

Hermione's response was immediate. 

"Is my daughter in any trouble?" 

For the first time, she sounded truly afraid for having just found a complete stranger in her home. 

Betty instinctively frowned at the indication. 

"What? _No_. Of course she isn't."

She couldn't really blame the woman for thinking it, a lot of people thought the proceedings of trouble practically came with the Serpent jacket. Which, in hindsight wasn't _not_ true. 

_But not with Veronica_

She swore to herself. 

"I promise, not with me she isn't, not if I can help it." 

Hermione's eyebrows slowly rose at that, although Betty noticed the bat droop a little in the woman's hands, she should have known the moment the more than vindictive words left her mouth pertaining to her daughter—she had said too much. 

"And just who are you then?" 

_Alright, keep it simple, Betty..._

"Betty." She nods awkwardly, while stuffing her hands into her jacket's pockets. "I'm, uh...just a friend." 

The four words were less than convincing, she didn't even believe herself. So when Hermione simply blinked at her, Betty suddenly found the crackling fireplace on the ground to the left of her very interesting. The woman's stare was just too impenetrable, it reminded her entirely too much of Veronica, whom she also failed miserably at lying to. 

"Just a friend?" Hermione places a hand on her hip. "My daughter has many friends, few of which she has sleep over, _all_ of which she runs by me and my husband first." 

A strange tingle runs down Betty's spine at the mention of the man. Something told her he would be a lot less hospitable if he found her in his daughter's room. 

"Now, the way my daughter was clinging to you and the way I saw you watching over her tells me that you're not a stranger."

Her eyes instantly snap back up to the woman. Just how long had she been standing in the doorway? 

Both were watching each other's every movement with distrust. 

"But the way you were about to sneak out of her bedroom window tells me that you're certainly not just a friend." 

Betty trainedly kept her mouth closed.

Still, Hermione almost looked satisfied with the answering silence. 

"Veronica's been acting a bit off lately and I'm willing to bet that you're the reason why." 

The woman took yet another step closer to her, head tilting to the side. 

"Would you like to tell me I'm wrong?"

Betty watched the drooping bat in the close woman's hand with a vengeance. If the woman in front of her were anyone else, she would have easily taken advantage of the opportunity, plucking the bat from the woman's before she knew what hit her. The bat probably. 

But alas. 

_Veronica's mom, Veronica's mom, Veronica's mom..._

The words kept hammering into her head. 

The blonde sighs. "Okay, you got me, we're not just friends, we're..." Her brain tried, and failed, to come up with a quick explanation. "... _best_ _friends_." 

Hermione quirks an eyebrow, possibly even more unconvinced than before. "That's why you were ready to sneak out of her window?" 

Betty gives her a hopeful innocent smile. "I didn't want to wake you and your husband up?" 

It was Hermione's turn to sigh, and Betty didn't miss the way her eyes briefly flickered behind her and up the stairs before she spoke. 

"Well Betty, I'll give you a choice. If you don't want me to wake my husband up, who as I'm sure you've already heard isn't very keen on Serpents while I call the police on you for breaking and entering into my house, I suggest you start telling me the truth." 

"Is there a third choice by any chance?" She half-jokes, receiving only an unchanging stare in response, her hopeful smile deflates. "Guess...not." 

The blonde groaned internally. She was tired and still in a mild amount of pain. All she wanted to do was curl up and fall into a peaceful coma for a week, preferably wrapped around the beautifully sleeping girl upstairs. 

_Fuck it_

"Okay, alright fine, my name really is Betty, Cooper. I'm a Southside Serpent, as you already know. I was attacked earlier tonight in a riot where my friend was really hurt, that's why I look like this." 

She hurries through the explanation, gesturing to her own appearances before dropping the bomb. 

"Also I didn't technically break into your house tonight, so much as climbed in through Veronica's window from months of experience because I'm dating your daughter." 

Hermione froze. 

And Betty swallows.

_Might as well_

"And I love her." She immediately felt lighter, warmer. A small loving smile even graced her face at the confession, eyes far away from the shocked brown one's staring back at her. "Very much."

The bat dropped—to the thankfully carpeted and not wooden floor, completely with a small thud. 

"You _love_ her?" 

Betty opened her mouth, but the quick padding of footfalls behind her had it instantly snapping back shut. 

"You _love_ me?"

The blonde spun around so quickly her head spun for a few seconds. 

There stood the girl in question.

She flushed red. 

Veronica was half on the stairs and half in the living room, soft hands gripping onto banister still in a t-shirt and shorts, dark hair flying in all directions, clearing having just woke up. 

Betty never thought she looked more beautiful, despite how fearfully fast her heart was racing in the moment. 

The brunette staring at her wide-eyed didn't seem to be fairing much better. Utter surprise was the only expression the blonde could read on her face and she swallowed. 

"Betty..." 

Veronica began slowly, not at all expecting the scene in front of her after mysteriously waking up in her bed alone—her stomach fluttering with the whole damn zoo.

"D-Did you just..." 

While the brunette desperately hoped she wasn't still dreaming, at the same time she knew what she was feeling was all too real.

Entranced, Betty all but forgot the woman standing behind her and burning holes into her insides as she stepped hesitantly toward the girl on the stairs. Hands tucked behind her back, the blonde's hands twitched nervously. 

"If you say you love me back, then yes. If you say you don't, then...no, and it was definitely like the wind or something." She cringed, not quite meeting the brunette's gaze. 

Veronica grinned, eyes slightly glassy.

The sound of the brunette's giggle then filled the space and felt like a breath of fresh air to Betty— who looked up, and in an instant had her in her arms. 

"I love you too." 

"Really?" The blonde breathed in disbelief, beaming she squeezed at the shorter girl's waist. 

Veronica scoffs with an uncontrollable smile of her own, one hand pressed to her cheek and the other curling around the one on her waist. 

"Obviously, dummy." 

Betty's grin would have stretched wider if it possible, chuckling. "I know you are, but what am I-" 

The brunette cuts her off by pulling her close, smashing her lips into her's. Minding the blonde's split lip. 

It was passionate yet brief.

Veronica draws away, keeping her nose to nose with hers, breathing shallowly, eyebrows suddenly furrowed as a thought crossed her mind. 

"When I woke up, I saw that your bike was still here. I was so terrified that my dad had gotten you-" 

Betty winced, cutting the brunette off with another peck to her soft kiss swollen lips. 

"Close." She softly admitted, regretfully. 

"Ahem." 

Veronica's eyes instantly snap over the blonde's shoulder, widening once again. "Mom!" She cried out, noticing the woman's presence and drew completely away from Betty. Guilt covered her features. 

Hermione seemed to have recovered from her initial frozen state. Two hands on her hips now as she spoke firmly. 

"Yes, I have been here the entire time and yes you do have a lot of explaining to do young lady. Starting with why I caught a girl, a Serpent no less, trying to sneak out of your bedroom." 

Betty and Veronica exchanged a look, both before turning sheepishly to face the heated woman as she turned to eye the blonde. 

"Alice Cooper's daughter, I presume?" 

Betty nods abashedly. 

Veronica hops in, her brown eyes pleading with her mother's own. "Are you going to tell daddy?" 

Hermione didn't give. "I haven't decided yet." 

There was a tense beat of silence, an intense mother-daughter stare off before Betty chuckled awkwardly. 

"Ouch, didn't think I made that bad of an impression." She sarcastically input, earning herself a sharp elbow from her girlfriend beside her. 

" _Ouch_." 

The outcry was real as the blonde held onto her, fortunately, cast-less arm with a frown down at the brunette. 

Veronica's eyes screamed 'not the time' as she looked up at her, although the brunette ran her hand soothingly down her arm and took her hand. 

Both girl's saw Hermione's eyes shoot dubiously down to their joined hands before venturing back up pointedly. 

Veronica sighed. "Mom, you can't. You know what daddy will do." 

Hermione ignores her. "Don't think I don't know that you snuck out earlier, she's why isn't she?" 

Neither girl says anything, giving their answer in guilty silence. 

Hermione closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How long?" 

"Mom-" 

" _Veronica Cecilia Lodge_." The woman cut her daughter off, opening her eyes with a hard stare. "How. Long?"

"Six months." The brunette reveals quietly. Her gaze darted to the floor, feeling ashamed at lying to her mother. 

Betty's frown deepened, squeezing her girlfriend's hand before trying to defend them. 

"She wasn't trying to hide anything. It wasn't like that, Mrs. Lodge." 

Hermione crosses her arms, turning on her. "Oh? Then what was it like, dear?" 

"It was mostly for my benefit."

Veronica's head shot up at the half lie. "B-"

Betty continues over her, easily taking the blame. 

"I thought if you or your husband found out, it would be dangerous and we would wouldn't be able to be together anymore. On top of that, I didn't want the Serpents to find out and try to hurt V because of who she is." 

That much was true.

Hermione nods slowly, skeptical. "I see. So, you were protecting her? You do that often, do you?" 

Betty nods back, while Veronica squeezed at her hand lovingly. 

"Nothing she doesn't do for me." She answered firmly. 

"Uh huh." 

Veronica watched her mother uneasily as she hummed idly, before looking back at her. 

"Quite a gallant one you've got here, mija." 

Veronica felt the corners of her lips stretch and her mother's expression match.

If Betty didn't know any better she'd say there was amusement in the woman's eyes. She shared a sidelong glance with her girlfriend, her brown eyes lit up at the praise. 

"You're not so bad yourself." She smirks good-naturedly, gesturing to the forgotten wooden bat on the floor between them. "I think you'd give a few Serpents a run for their money." 

Hermione's eyebrows rose at the compliment. "Oh, and she's a sweet talker?" Her own smirk was impressed. 

Veronica stares upward at her blonde, heart-eyed. "Yeah, she is." She agrees, leaning up and pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek.

Cheeks that definitely _weren't_ blushing, because Serpents didn't blush. 

Although, Betty couldn't wipe the smile off her face, staring back just as starry-eyed. 

Both of them missing the array of emotions that crossed the woman's features standing in front of them. Understanding, delight...concern, sympathy, dismay, sadness.

Hermione clears her throat, a sudden frown on her face gaining the couple's attention. "Veronica, sweetheart, I can see how much you love this girl, that much is clear." She gestured between the two girls. "I'm not so sure you two being together is a good idea." 

Just like that Veronica's heart fell and hurt crossed the younger brunette's features. 

"Why? Because Betty's a girl?" Her voice choked up a little,.

Betty bit her lip at the reaction, eyebrows setting as to not say anything. 

"Honey, it's not because she's a girl."

Veronica released a breath and Betty did the same. 

Hermione rolls her eyes at their reactions. "Please, Veronica, I wouldn't care if anyone you dated had three heads and had blue skin color. You know, I'll love you no matter what. It's because she's a Serpent, dear. No offense Betty." She tilts her head at the blonde. 

Betty shrugs. 

The woman sighs, then giving her daughter a look.

"I'm okay with it mija, but with everything going on, you know your father is not going to be happy about this." 

Veronica then shoots her mother two big brown hopeful eyes that Betty thought she could only ever dream of denying. 

"Not if he doesn't know and you don't tell him." 

Hermione immediately shakes her head. "I don't like keeping secrets from your father-"

Veronica scoffed in disbelief, instantly cutting the woman off. "He keeps them from us." She claimed outright. 

Betty winced. 

And Hermione's features hardened once more.

"Nonetheless, I don't like you keeping secrets from _me_." 

The woman's tone was final. 

"You went behind my back, Veronica." 

Betty's heart pinched, seeing her girlfriend's face fall once again guilt-ridden and quiet. 

"I'm sorry, mami." 

Veronica whispered, the shame of the statement hitting her for the nth time and finding a small reassurance in her girlfriend's comforting touch. 

Pressing her head to the side of the brunette's own, Betty felt a familiar sense of hostile protectiveness rising and pushed it down. It wasn't the time. Instead, it was the blonde's turn to look up and give the woman in front of them pleading eyes. 

"Please, Mrs. Lodge." 

A tantalizing moment passed. 

Before Hermione sighed, features softening again. 

"Teenagers..." The woman mutters, before nodding in acceptance. "Okay, I won't tell Hiram." 

Betty broke into a grin, Veronica inhaling in surprise, the girls turn to look at each other before the latter flew into her mother's arms, squealing. 

" _Mom_." The brunette breathed at a loss for words, missing the way the older woman eyed the skin of her neck in curiosity as she pulled away. 

Veronica immediately fell right into Betty's arms, both girls squeezing each other tight with the smaller of the two distinctly holding back. When they pulled away, still in one another's embrace, Veronica rose a hand to carefully stroke at the painful gash on her forehead. 

"On two conditions." 

Hermione continues to voice.

At the words Veronica quickly pulls herself away, still clinging to the blonde's right arm and Betty does the same, while eyeing the woman curiously. 

"One, you stay and let me properly clean up those bruises and cuts before they get infected." 

Hermione addresses her, Betty's eyebrows immediately rose and her eyes shot up the stairs. The woman waves her off. 

"Don't worry about my husband waking up, dear, he sleeps like the dead." 

Betty nods, exchanging another look with a smiling Veronica, lips quirking upward. "Then done." 

"Good, and two." A smile grows on Hermione's own face as she glanced knowingly between them. "You two are going to tell me everything, I want to hear _all_ about this new person who's been making my daughter so happy lately."

"Done." 

"Done." 

Both girls' answers were immediate that time, faces lit up. 

Hermione nods satisfied, clapping her hands together excitedly before pointing at her daughter. 

"Go get the first aid kit upstairs for me, honey?"

Veronica looked at Betty assuringly, both still beaming at each other then squeezes the blonde's arm before jogging up the stairs, happily in search of what her mother asked. 

Both the Betty and Hermione watched the girl closely until she disappeared, following the silence, the blonde turned politely to her girlfriend's mother only to have Hermione crook a finger to her to follow her into what presumably looked like a kitchen area.

Walking together, Betty takes in a breath. 

_This night couldn't have turned out any better_

Suddenly, the blonde was startled out of her thoughts and tensed as Hermione unexpectedly placed an arm around her shoulders and leaned down close to her ear, the woman's expression unreadable and unnerving. 

She gulps.

"Now you, Betty, can start by telling me exactly why my daughter's neck looks as if she were attacked by a wild animal."

_...shit_

Betty grimaces, letting out a nervous chuckle. 

_Spoke too soon_

....

**Two weeks later.**

Tensions were finally lessening between the North and the South, although both sides were clearly quietly plotting, biding their time in wait for the other to strike—it worked just as well for Betty and Veronica, the girls having managed to convince Hermione to still allow the blonde to sneak over, with the woman's permission first of course. 

The couple had decided to take the last few weeks as a win, taking the opportunity to put all issues in the back of their minds to try more relaxing and non-gang related activities.

'Relaxing' clearly being by only one of their standards. 

"You...do this...every morning?"

Veronica pants, gasping in an attempt to catch her breath the brunette stops running and bends at the waist, placing her hands on her knees as black spots took over her view of the dirt path in front of her. Ears swimming and sweat dripping from her brow in her light long sleeve and stylish leggings, she sorely regretted not wearing cooler workout clothes. 

Hearing twinkling laughter above her, she squints pass the warm sun beating down on her and glares up at the source. 

Betty laughed at her wholeheartedly, cast-free hands placed on her hips as she skidded to a stop beside her. The blonde herself wore a tank top with her Serpent jacket tied around her waist and a pair of lightweight joggers. A tank top which might have rode up upon her sweat glistening stomach and made her look unbelievably hot. 

_Annoyingly_ so. 

"I hate you." The brunette declared. 

Betty simply rolled her eyes at the girl she loved, shaking her head before slipping the water bottle in her hand over into her own. "How about now?" She raised an amused eyebrow. 

Veronica quickly stood straight, features lighting up as she clutched the precious bottle in both hands.

"I hate you less." She managed gratefully, followed by placing the bottle to her lips and gulping the cold heaven-like liquid down like she hadn't had a drop in a millennia and ignored her girlfriend snorting next to her. 

"I told you running with me isn't for beginners, V. I've been doing this a while." Betty smirked. 

Veronica groaned at the obvious gloating, still gasping for air as she swallowed and continued glaring. "If I wasn't literally dying right now, I would throw this water at you for how smug you're being." 

Betty only laughed at her again, although gently rubbing down her back. 

"You're not the only one who works out, you know?" The brunette squabbles, even as she leaned into the blonde's body as the taller girl wrapped a supportive arm around over her shoulders. 

"Babe, I told you that 'retail therapy' with Cheryl around a busy shopping mall doesn't count." 

"Says you." 

Veronica breathed in satisfied relief as she finally finished off the water, pointing the empty bottle in her amused girlfriend's direction. 

"You haven't experienced a real workout until you've experienced a crowded shopping mall of merciless teenage girls all running in the same direction when Gucci's on sale, B. I'm just lucky I survived." 

Betty rolls her eyes again, grinning at her. "God, you're just _so_ brave, V." She retorted sarcastically, leaning down and brushing the brunette's nose against her own. 

Veronica smirked. "I am, aren't I?" She responded proudly, flipping her hair over her should. 

Both girls laughed before the brunette took Betty's chin between her fingers and lovingly pecked the blonde's lips. 

Betty looked at her equally as lovingly before removing her arm from over her shoulder and entangling their fingers. "Come on." She stepped backward, pulling the brunette further down the dirt path. 

Veronica smiled widely once she realized where they were heading. Betty stopped at the opening once they reached their destination, the girls taking in the familiar view. 

Sweetwater River. 

The spot was beautiful at that time of day— clear sparkling blue water surrounded by freshly cut green grass and the occasional bed of multi-colorful flowers. The sun shined down on the landscape, giving it just the right aesthetic gleam. 

Not only was the sight gorgeous, but it was technically their first date spot all those months back. 

"And just why are we here, Ms. Cooper?" Veronica teases curiously, tilting her head at her coyly smiling girlfriend. 

Betty shrugged mysteriously and continued to slowly pull the shorter girl forward into their beautiful landscape until they reached the riverside, everything going according to plan. 

"Well, I just thought we could re-create our first date, Ms. Lodge." 

With that, the blonde took Veronica by complete surprise, beginning to strip down, ridding her shoes, untying the jacket around her waist and her joggers— the girl was halfway out of her tank top before the brunette actually registered what was happening. 

When she did, Veronica hastily reached out her hands to stop Betty— fingers clutched at the ends of the blonde's top, she quickly glanced around, making sure no one else could see her girlfriend only _she_ was allowed to see naked. Or getting there anyway. 

Fortunately, and as to be expected, no one was around.

Still, she blinked back at Betty in shock but Betty only smiled, clearly finding _whatever_ was happening more amusing than herself. 

"Oh my god, _what_ are you doing? Our first date definitely didn't go like this."

Betty leaned into her until she spoke next to the brunette's ear. "Are you sure?" She whispered tauntingly, minding the hands gripped on her tank top and continuing her ministrations lower instead. 

Veronica's eyes trail every movement as the blonde slowly dropped her joggers and swallows.

"I'm a good girl, Betty. My clothes stay on for a first date..." 

Still, the brunette bit down on her lower lip and barely conceals a needy whimper as steady hands fall on top of hers and move her own from outside to the inside of the blonde's top to feel her well-defined stomach.

Betty certainly noticed her state and the blonde's grinned widened. 

Veronica felt herself giving in.

"...on second thought, maybe I wouldn't have complained if _yours_ came off." 

Before Veronica knew it she was freely running her hands up and down Betty's torso, ignoring the blonde's smirk and sarcastic murmur of 'good girl' as she helped pull the rest of her top off. 

Leaving Betty in only a sports bra and very short boxer shorts. Her apparel fell unnoticed to the grass below both girls. 

While cast-free, Veronica was pleased to see only faint bruises and cuts disappearing on her love's pale white skin. She wasted no amount of time pressing her lips against the blonde's, softly moaning as she thoroughly felt her up, fingertips sliding across every exposed half of her. 

Betty groaned in pleasure, drawing away from the brunette before looking at her directly. "Take your clothes off, babe." She whispered, sure the desire was plain in her eyes. 

Veronica couldn't help but to shiver at the demand entranced in the beautiful blue irises studying her, the desire, the want for her to trust her. She reluctantly removed her hands and began slowly taking her own clothes off— watching Betty watch her body shamelessly as more and more tan skin was revealed, not unlike she had done herself. 

The brunette was left in her own sports bra and panties.

Betty visibly gulped, feeling her very bones seem to heat up. 

Despite the blonde having seen her naked a handful of times since their first night, she still reacted the same, sending a loving warmth throughout Veronica's body. 

The brunette teasingly tilts the blonde's head back up from where her gaze had fallen, lightly tracing the snake tattoo on her left arm with her other hand. 

"Betty, I repeat, what are you up to?"

Betty's mind unfroze, snapping back to what she had originally planned out for their afternoon as her eyebrows rose hopefully. 

"After our workout, I thought we could do with a little cooling off." She directed her head in the direction of the still river a few feet ahead of them. 

Veronica turned to stare warily pass the river's edge, the water didn't look too deep...although she couldn't really see the bottom...

Betty saw her hesitation.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." 

" _No._ " The brunette protested quickly, maybe too quickly as she took the blonde by the hand and lead them to the river's edge, not once taking her eyes off the mysterious body of water. "I want to."

"Are you sure?"

Veronica finally looked up at Betty's uncertain tone, instinctively feigning an air of confidence. 

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" 

Betty huffed in amusement as she held up their joined hands, slightly wincing. 

"Because you're cutting off my circulation right now, Veronica."

Veronica promptly loosened her grip. "Sorry!" She rose their hands, kissing the blonde's palm on her previously injured arm. "Sorry, baby." 

Betty shakes her head assuringly, she smiles at the gesture before dipping her head to search her eyes carefully. "Veronica, really we don't have to."

"But I _want_ to." Veronica urged, more convincingly. 

But her girlfriend still looked unconvinced.

"V..." 

Veronica rolls her eyes before smirking, her hands moved before her brain fully caught up to what she was doing and unceremoniously shoved the blonde forward, the girl toppling into the river with a barely coherent yelp before only the reckonings of a mere splash could be heard. 

The brunette giggles before jumping in herself. 

Betty blinked in surprise as she emerged. 

Both girls had swam up to the surface resurfacing several feet apart, Veronica   
continued giggling as Betty moved her blonde wet hair out of her eyes and glared vengefully.

"I will have my revenge for that." She spoke darkly and began slowly swimming in her direction. 

"Oh yeah?" 

Veronica kicked backwards, inwardly relieved that she could still feel her toes brush the bottom of the river, she grinned and winked. 

"Gotta catch me first, babe." 

She turned and began swimming in the opposite direction as fast as she could— which meant extremely slow— unsurprisingly it didn't take Betty long for to catch her, apparently just as faster than her on land than in water, she continued laughing as the blonde's fingertips reached out tickling at her sides underwater. 

"Okay, okay-ah!" 

All the laughter was instantly cut off as Veronica could no longer feel her toes touch the bottom, she had swam too far from shore—panicking, the brunette felt herself plunging, legs kicking uselessly and hands grasping at nothing but air and water. She screamed.

Just her head was about to immerse under, she felt arms wrap around her, keeping her afloat and above the surface. 

"Woah." Betty breathed sharply, supporting both their weight as Veronica quickly wrapped both legs tightly around her waist, arms practically encasing her head. 

"Hey, you're okay." 

Betty assured to her soothingly as Veronica fought to calm down her racing heart rate and the blonde secretly did the same at seeing her girlfriend almost go under.

They both released long breaths and the brunette received a questioning look as her girlfriend pulled back slightly. 

Veronica practically felt the red tinge in her cheeks as she looked away from the girl below her, mumbling. "Okay, I'm not a very strong swimmer." She admitted and couldn't help the antsy look on her face as she eyed the river and could barely see the bottom, no less touch it if Betty decided to let her go. She held to the blonde tighter, nails digging into pale skin. "That's why I didn't want to get into the water." 

She finally met Betty's eyes, fully expecting her girlfriend to tease her—to her surprise the blonde simply smiled at her fondly. 

Tightening her own hold on the brunette, Betty slowly eased the backwards in the water and back closer to shore.

Veronica watched in relief as the bottom of the river came back into view, loosening her death grip on her love, although ultimately deciding against removing her legs from around her waist. 

"Better?" 

Betty rose her eyebrows at her, cutely blinking fallen water from her eyes at the movement. 

Veronica answers with a tentative nod, taking her lip between her teeth uneasily. "Don't let me go." 

"Never." 

Came the blonde's immediate response. 

Veronica smiled, eyes lighting up as she gratefully ran her fingers through the blonde's wet tangles to stop the water from getting her beautiful eyes. "Thank you. My knight in shining leather, always saving me."

Betty scoffed, but couldn't contain the large grin on her face when the brunette looked at her the way she was. 

Unfortunately, it didn't last. 

The blonde's smile dropped as she was faced with the faint bruises littering across Veronica's own arm from being in the middle the riot with the Serpents and the Northsiders. 

The brunette saw anger, then guilt and sadness flash across Betty's face, she tried to pull her arm back but the blonde only brought her closer, removing one arm from around her middle to gently take her wrist, kissing where all the small bruises lie.

Veronica's heart warmed, but only temporarily as Betty looked up at her solemnly. 

"Not always." 

"Yes always, Betty." She stresses, cupping at the blonde's cheeks and shaking her head. "These are not your fault."

Betty mirrors her shaking head, disagreeing. "I should have never gotten you involved-" 

Veronica interrupts her resolutely. 

"Babe, I practically begged you to let me help you and the rest of the Serpents. _I_ got me involved, not you." 

The brunette strokes down the blonde's cheek pacifyingly. 

"And I don't regret one single moment of it." She promises. 

Betty frowned at the words. 

"The Serpents are _dangerous_ , V."

"I know." She nods. 

But the blonde continues. 

"The majority of them aren't very accepting to Northsiders."

"I know."

"We have rival gangs that hate Northsiders even more than they hate us and make it their mission to harm them at any opportunity."

"I know." 

Betty huffed at the brunette in frustration as she tried desperately to get her point across. "People have died rallying with us, old and young, V."

Veronica sighed, before bringing the blonde's face closer. " _I_. _know_." She breathed, emphasizing the statement.

Betty's eyes narrowed in bewilderment. 

_What was wrong with this girl?_

"...I seriously can't decide if you're very bold or actually insane." 

Veronica grinned. If she were being honest, she couldn't make the decision herself. 

"And why not a little bit of both?" She teased, playfully tapping the blonde's nose. 

_Absolutely nothing, she's perfect_

Betty sighed, resting her head against the brunette's, eyes closed. "I swear to god if anything happens to you..." 

Veronica's features softened as her girlfriend held closer like she was the most precious thing in the world. She instinctively threw her arms back around the blonde's neck, playing soothingly with the wet baby hairs on the back of the girl's neck. 

"It won't." 

As Betty opened her eyes, Veronica could see it—the regret mixed with pride and an unmistakable emptiness— it was the same look her grandmother had worn for years after her grandfather passed. 

"You really loved him, didn't you?" The brunette chances softly, whispering just barely above coherent sound level. 

Who 'him' was didn't need to be said between them. 

Jughead Jones.

Betty rarely spoke of him, for obvious reasons. She swallowed at the unexpected question. 

Veronica herself regretted anytime he was brought up, as it instantly brought a pained look to her love's features. 

This time wasn't any different.

Betty remained quiet for a while as she stared up at the brunette, or rather, _through_ her with that faraway look in her eye. 

The blonde thought, then blinked and actually looked at her girlfriend, expression taken over with a small smile. A genuine, loving one as she nods. 

"Almost as much as I love you." She answered just as softly, then playfully knocked their heads together. 

Veronica grinned, nuzzling her nose against the blonde's cheek as her heart fluttered. "Charmer." She muttered as Betty returned the favor, both relishing in the serene moment of the two of them just floating along the river. "I love you too." 

"No more Bonnie and Clyde." 

The brunette felt Betty shake her head, cool breath hitting her on the cheek as the blonde exhaled before drawing back. 

"That was Jughead and me and look where that got us. Let's just...try and be Romeo and Juliet for as long as we can, apart from the double suicide?" She pleaded. 

Veronica carefully looked into the blonde's blue eyes. 

_For as long as their gang hiatus would last at least_

The brunette thought, nodding without hesitation. 

"Romeo and Juliet." She echoed assuringly, cupping her love's cheek adoringly. "Betty Cooper, my star-crossed lover."

Betty's eyebrows furrowed at the term, although a small smile lit up her features. "Lover?"

Veronica mirrored the look, shrugging. "What? We _are_ lovers." She defended. 

Betty snorts, adjusting her grip on her before she began moving her arms, swimming them backwards.

"Yeah, but we're not senior citizens, or some sappy Taylor Swift album." 

"Ha ha." Veronica rolls her eyes, as the blonde encouraged her to loosen her legs from around her waist and took her hands to help tread the water surrounding them. "How about...my love?" She flutters her eyelashes playfully. 

Betty counters her again, smirking. "What are we Cheryl and Toni?"

Veronica narrows her eyes, ripping one hand away from the teasing blonde to splash her relentlessly. 

"No! No! Alright, I'm sorry!" Betty immediately yelped between laughing, failing at dodging the water directed at her face, instead seizing the brunette's hand back into her own, halting her movement.

Veronica hummed, satisfied before her eyebrows rose challenging the blonde. "Fine, you come up with a name." 

Betty thought for a moment. 

"Er...darling?" The blonde cringed, even as the words came out of her mouth. 

Veronica smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry, are we my grandparents?" She mocked her mocking. 

The blonde simply pouted and thought again before a name struck her. 

"Okay, okay, how about...a couple of gal pals?" Her voice rose hopefully at the ends. 

Veronica scoffed in disbelief. 

"Right, and now we're straight." 

Betty groaned. 

Veronica began laughing. 

Betty joining her soon after.

After a moment, Veronica stopped the girl's treading, throwing her arms back around her neck and drawing her in. 

"How about we just be us?" She murmured warmly, nosing the blonde's neck lovingly. "Girlfriends that occasionally call each other pet names like babe and baby." 

Betty simply hummed her agreement. 

The girls stayed there for awhile in each other's arm, neither wanting to let go in the peaceful silence of nature— it wasn't until curious hands began roaming, Veronica's legs finding themselves back around the blonde and Betty's lips on hers that any noises could be heard between them and the trees alone. 

Betty groaned again, but certainly not from frustration.

"Mmm, feels really good to be able to use both hands again." The blonde's hands skim from the brunette's sunkissed bare back, past her bra and straight down to her rear. 

Veronica giggled and jumps a little at the movement, moving her lips to Betty's ear, moaning. "You're telling me." She bites lightly grazing, then licking a line from the girl's ear down her neck, earning herself another groan. 

Betty's breathing hitched, the blonde squeezing her girlfriend's body impossibly closer to her own causing her to feel a familiar needy burning in her insides while the brunette feverently pressed her lips back against the blonde's, which she returned full force. 

Veronica knew she needed Betty.

And it was obvious the girl felt the same way.

_Doing things in water would be a little different, but-_

Veronica didn't have a chance to finish her thought before a phone went off in the distance. An all too familiar ringing. 

Sighing as Betty immediately broke away from her, the brunette heavily rested her head on the blonde's shoulder, closing her eyes in frustration. 

"Have I told you how much I hate that thing?" 

Betty smiled in amusement, but also felt a bit frustrated herself and pressed an apologetic kiss to Veronica's head before slowly treading them both back to shore, the brunette only letting go of her when she could reach out and touch land, pulling herself out of the water and onto the grassland where their clothes and belongings lie. 

Betty remained in the water, grasping her phone and checking it as Veronica struggled to squeeze the copious amounts of riverwater from her hair and pull her clothes back on. 

"It's not Serpent business, just Sweet Pea." Betty assured after eventually looking up from texting a reply back and letting the device fall to the ground. "They're at Pop's." She climbed out of the river, but unlike her girlfriend, began shaking her blonde hair out like a wet dog. 

"Betty!" Veronica squealed, hands doing a useless job of covering her clothes and face as various little droplets of water were shot at her. 

"Were you raised in a barn?" The brunette chastised playfully as the blonde stopped, visibly delighted at the reaction she got out of her, running her hands through her long tresses and stood cockily. 

"Trailer, actually." Betty corrected playfully, still wet arms coming back around the smaller girl. 

Veronica rolled her eyes amused before taking the blonde by the arm and gently pushing her to the ground to be next to her, the girl's leather jacket had been laid down for them to sit on— still the brunette made her girlfriend semi-dry off and put back on her clothes before rejoining her. 

Together the two lay side by side, hands joined, staring up at the clouds and enjoying the calm undisturbed quiet of nature surrounding them. 

"Thank god it's warm out today, I'm still so wet." The brunette sighs, feeling her clothes and hair slowly unstick from her skin as she air dried. 

Betty glanced over at the word choice, eyebrows rose in mischief. "Are you?"

Veronica doesn't switch her gaze from the blue sky, huffing. 

And she thought she was the flirt. 

"So, adorably annoying today." She smacked the blonde's arm playfully. "You know what I meant." 

Betty hissed in pain, holding onto the arm still not completely healed from their recent ventures. "Babe, you _have_ to stop doing that." 

"Sorry." Veronica quickly glanced over, wincing as she rubbed the blonde's arm in concern. "Are you still icing it like my mom told you to?" 

Betty nods, sweetly pecking her lips at the worry on the brunette's face. "I'm fine, promise." She assures under her scrutinizing gaze, getting an idea. "Better than fine, actually." 

The blonde rolled over, grinning and pulling Veronica on top of her. 

The brunette squeaked in surprise, hands landing on either of the taller girl's cheeks before leaning down and returning the peck. 

Betty squinted up at her pass the sunlight, head tilted to the side cutely.

"Speaking of your mom, do you think she's really going to keep sticking to her word about not telling your dad about us?" 

Veronica shook her head knowingly. "My mom knows if she hurts you, she would only be hurting me."

Something her father wouldn't understand.

"She won't say anything." She assured her blonde, who's features light up and pressed her lips against hers. 

Veronica happily returns the kiss.

But just as things began to heat up yet again, the brunette pulled away. 

Betty's frown was instant. 

"Come on." She laughed and gently patted the blonde's cheek, while rolling off her and sitting up. "We have to meet the others at Pop's."

Betty reluctantly sat up, grumbling petulantly. "Fine, but my bike is still parked two miles away. We're gonna be late." 

Veronica shrugged carelessly. "Not if we run."

Betty laughed at the words, remembering hours ago where the girl had been swearing off exercise altogether and they had only been running for five minutes. " _You_ want to run?" 

Not liking the blonde's tone, Veronica got to her knees, feeling suddenly defensive and challenged. "No, actually, I want to race." She dared, her eyes narrowing. 

Betty laughed again. 

"Yeah?" She scoffed in disbelief. 

Veronica's jaw dropped, feeling even more offended as her determination grew. " _Yeah_." She moved her face closer to the sitting blonde's and wagered. "And winner gets bragging rights." 

Betty meets the brunette's unwavering closeness, smiling teasingly. 

"Babe, I love you too much to rub my inevitable win in her your fac..." 

The blonde trailed off, blue eyes noticeably darkening as graceful fingers slowly wrap around her collar, the brunette balancing on her knees above pulling her closer and closer.

"Is that so?" Veronica purrs. 

Betty swallows, nodding distractedly as she climbed to her knees. "Mhmm, um, yeah let's just walk..."

The brunette teasingly brushes her nose with the blonde's as her girlfriend visibly lost her train of thought.

"Uh huh...?" She whispers amused as her lips lightly brush against the entranced Serpent's. 

"T-then...uh...we...we can share our victory together." 

Betty exhaled as she finally finished, then moved in to smash her lips against her girlfriend's. 

Or she would have. 

If at the very last second, the brunette hadn't placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, halting her. 

Veronica smirked cheekily at the surprised pouting expression on the blonde's face. "Not if I beat you there first." She threatened, right before using the blonde's in shock state to easily push her back down to land on her ass. 

It was the brunette's turn to laugh, springing to her feet and running away, back up the path. 

Betty gaped in shock before quickly scrambling to her feet. 

"Cheaters never win, Veronica!" 

The blonde shouted, laughing and sprinting after her girl. 

"Sorry, too busy winning Betty, can't hearrrr youuuu!" 

...

The two girls ended up at the diner in record time. 

With Veronica bragging the entire way about winning and Betty arguing her obvious disadvantage, the couple bickered all the way up until they were situated in a booth alongside an annoyed Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs— all of which promptly told them to shut up and order. 

In courtesy to one of their usual completely random arguments, being between Toni, Sweet Pea, and Betty over who knew classic gangster movies the best— it wasn't long before the group split into teams of threes—Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni on one side of the booth with Betty, Fangs, and Sweet Pea on the other. 

They had all scrawled out various titles of old gangster movies on wrinkled napkins, before balling them up and putting them in the middle of the table to choose at random and have guessed by their partners. 

"Okay, okay, he's an American gangster." 

Toni held tightly onto the napkin she hid in her as she looked urgently at the two girls next to her. Both of which looked at her as if she had three heads. 

Veronica scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. "All of them are American gangsters! _That's_ your clue, Topaz!?" She glared at the frazzled pink-haired girl, along side her redheaded girlfriend. 

"Just shut up and listen, Lodge! We're on the same team!"

"Doesn't feel like it!"

"10 secondsss." 

Fangs sung across from them, smug smirk covering his face as he looked at his watch on the arm that wasn't in the sling constraining his left. To his right and left were Betty and Sweet Pea, both with matching smirks, practically dancing in their seats with glee. The glares they received went ignored, all of them entirely too happy at watching them lose as Toni tried a second time. 

"Cocaine." 

" _What!?_ " Both Veronica and Cheryl shouted obliviously to the clue at the same time. 

Toni groaned. 

"9 seconds." 

Fangs continued to annoyingly countdown, while Sweet Pea casually popped a fry in his mouth from Betty and Veronica's shared basket, since finished with his own while the blonde pushed him away. 

Veronica temporarily lost focus and helped her love across the table from her, slapping the boy's hands away from their food. The brunette shared a hidden smile with her girlfriend before Cheryl snapped in front of her face, bringing her attention back. 

"Will you stop fraternizing with the enemy?" The redhead glared between her and Betty, both of them rolling their eyes but complying. 

"7 seconds." 

Toni stared down at the napkin and visibly struggled to come up with another clue, Cheryl took her hands, making the girl's dark eyes look up. 

"Toni-my love-I love you, but if you don't continue your ass is sleeping on Fangs' couch tonight." 

"Ohhhhhhh." Betty, Fangs, and Sweet Pea teased at once, laughing as Veronica winced and Toni glared. 

"5 seconds."

"It's not my fault you and the princess can't guess simple clues, Bombshell."

"4 seconds." 

Veronica huffed. " _Guys_." She broke up the lovers spat, gesturing for them to move it along. "We're running out of time."

"Fine. You gotta get this one." Toni sighed. "Al Capone." She said it deliberately slow, for once sounding sure the other two would guess correctly. 

The pink-haired girl was only met with more useless blank stares from Veronica and Cheryl. 

"2 seconds."

"Come onnnn." Toni practically whined, face palming. 

"Time!" 

Their one minute was up and the other three made a show about it every time— Sweet Pea making obnoxious buzzer noises, while Betty and Fangs celebrated noisily with high fives and gloating as the people around them stared. The usual uneasiness the three Serpents felt being on the Northside apparently forgotten in their victory. 

Veronica playfully glared at her girlfriend, who winked cheekily in return, smug smile still on her face. The brunette rolled her eyes, before grabbing a fry out of their basket and biting dipown indignantly. 

"Looks like it's back to us again, ladies." Sweet Pea sniggered. "And Tiny." 

Toni rolled her eyes before leaning over the table and giving him a well-deserved punch in the arm, sulking. 

Cheryl rubbed her back comfortingly as Sweet Pea rubbed his arm. 

Veronica, Betty, and Fangs chuckled at the scene then Betty threw an arm freely around Fang's side of the booth. "Fangs, if you'll do the honors." 

Veronica eyed her affectionately. Sue her. 

Fangs bumps the blonde, plucking up the napkin Toni had abandoned on the table. "My pleasure, Betts." He read the ink, before smirking cockily. "Easy one." 

Cheryl and Toni shook their heads half-amused and Veronica groaned. 

"Oh, just read it, Fogarty." She threw a fry at him, the boy being unable to defend himself with one hand in a sling and the napkin in the other dodged uselessly until Sweet Pea began catching them in his mouth. 

"Ha." He laughed proudly. "I got you, dude." 

"Nice." Betty grinned, firmly slapping his held up hand. 

Veronica sticks her tongue out immaturely at the blonde, Betty returning the gesture just as childishly. 

Fangs clears his throat, straightening up as he got into character. "Ahem." He faced his friends, voicing in a thick accent. "Say hello to my little friend-" 

"SCARFACE!" Betty and Sweet Pea shout instantly, jumping up in their seats.

"Hell yeah!" Fangs erratically threw the napkin down, the three Serpent's hands became a tangle of limbs as they repeatedly high fived one another, wooping. 

Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni all roll their eyes at the display. 

"Screw you guys, you've known each other for longer." Toni argued, shaking her head. "And it took me like thirty seconds to make out what was written on that napkin Fangs, your left hand is in that sling, how the hell do you still have the handwriting of a three year old?" 

"Hey, all's cool in love and war, Tiny." Fangs reached over the table and condescendingly patting the top of the pink-haired girl's head, smoothly backing off just in time, unlike Sweet Pea, managing to dodge a hit from the girl. 

"It's all's _fair_ in love and war, simpletons." Cheryl drones drily. 

"Aw, don't be bitter, Cheryl. It's just a game." Betty teased, before sipping at her almost forgotten vanilla milkshake. 

"Yeah, you're a sore loser, red." Sweet Pea backs her and they both earn a flipped bird from the hotheaded redhead. 

One of the many things Veronica had learned in the passed months spent with them, Serpents were terribly competitive. 

"Cheaters. All of you." She narrowed her eyes and pointed accusingly at the ones across the booth, particularly at a certain blonde. 

Betty leaned halfway across the table at her words, smirking teasingly. "I told you cheaters never win, babe." 

Veronica met her, dark eyes narrowing. "I will break you yet, Cooper." 

Betty's blue eyes sparkle with amusement, matching her own. 

"Was that a threat?" Sweet Pea's arms crossed over his chest, doing his best threatening stare down although an obvious smile pulled at his lips.

"I think it was Pea." Betty nodded ominously, also staring the brunette down as she played along. 

Veronica's smirk stretched. 

Fang shakes his head, tsking. "You know us Serpents don't take too kindly to threats, Veronica."

"Oh really?" She retorted sarcastically, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as she tilted her head to one side. "Then here's another. We want a rematch or the big bad Serpents are going to become the little _mice_."

"Hell yeah, Lodge!" Toni looked at her eyes wide, impressed. 

While Cheryl smirks, a glint in her eyes. "I knew there was a reason I call you my best friend." 

The three girls all share a round high fives to mock the other three. 

Betty snorts and Fangs gasps, free hand to his chest in fake hurt.

"Well damn, big talk, Lodge." Sweet Pea rose his eyebrows, nodding his respect. "Your girl is a pro, Betts." 

Betty simply shrugged, eyes fixated on her girl proudly. 

"She is." 

Veronica would be lying if she said she didn't flush a little, covering it up with a scoff.

"Too bad we're going to have to take her down." Fangs jumped in, eyebrows rose to accept her challenge.

Any response she would have had was immediately cut off with Sweet Pea's boisterous laughter. "And that's what Betty said!" He grins vulgarly, before looking at Betty and Fangs to back him. Instead, Betty and Fangs drop and shake their heads. "What?" The dark haired Serpent's thick eyebrows furrow defensively as looked around the table. 

Veronica holds back a laugh as Toni and Cheryl look at him with disgust. 

"Gross." Toni frowned. 

Fangs pats his shoulder. "Just not cool, dude."

"They'll never be enough electroshock treatments or prescription pills in the world to erase that horrific image out of my head." Cheryl shudders, placing fingers to her temples as if she had a headache coming on. 

"Pea..." Betty groaned in embarrassment, turning a mildly red color. 

That time Veronica did laugh, earning an almost too small to see pout out of the blonde. 

"Wow, who knew Serpents were such prudes?" 

The brunette teased, swiping her slightly pouting lover's milkshake, smirking over the bendy straw. She sent Betty a wink, taking a sip of her drink. 

Somewhere in the background she heard Sweet Pea indignantly agree, but the sight of Betty's pout instantly disappearing into a loving smile and then the feel of a sneaky hand grabbing and intertwining with her own under the table hopelessly blurred anything else going on around her. 

There they stayed in that position for moments, before several of their friend's throats cleared uncomfortably. 

"If you want to be subtle Brittany and Santana, try _not_ looking at each other like you want to go at it right here in the middle of this diner in front of everyone."

Came Cheryl's sarcastic retort. 

_Subtle_ , right. 

Despite her mom finding out about them, the couple were still sneaking around in public due to her father. It was a small town, so people still talked of course—especially, the Southsiders she knew weren't so fond of her hanging around their parts and could do nothing about it—only her mom, Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Kevin, and Archie really knew they were dating. 

"Jealous bestie?" Veronica taunts, turning on the redhead and squeezing Betty's hand. "Toni not giving you enough loving at home?" 

Betty hums in agreement, while Sweet Pea and Fangs whistle. 

Toni scoffed in disbelief. "Oh, I give her plenty." She promises, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend. 

Cheryl clicked her tongue and leans into her. "That's right, mi cheri gives me all the love I need." She lays a loving kiss to the shorter girl's jaw before glaring at the other couple. " _We_ just have the decency to keep it behind closed doors, unlike you two, it would be the least you could do for up and deciding to stick your tongue down my cousin's throat after all these years, Lodge."

Betty tsked, shaking her head. "In that case you _really_ should have introduced us sooner, Cheryl." She smiled bright and flirtatious at her girlfriend, squeezing her hand back.

Much to Cheryl's annoyance. 

Veronica's eyebrow rose at the blonde's surprisingly brazen remark, but couldn't fight smiling just as saucily in return. 

Just as she opened her mouth to retort an undoubtedly equally as flirtly line back, Fangs instantly cut her off. 

"Can we please change the subject?" 

The boy looked both annoyed, amused, and uncomfortable. He thought of Betty like his sister, as did Sweet Pea...

Sweet Pea wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Or keep going."

But he could still be a perv sometimes. 

"Fangs." Toni casually nodded to the boy in the sling, gesturing to said perv. 

"On it." Fangs punched him in the arm. 

"Ah!" Sweet Pea protested, scowling and pointing a finger. "Hey listen, just 'cause you're gay for Keller doesn't mean..."

The boys began arguing. 

Cheryl muttered, sighing. "Boys." 

The statement was to the agreement of all the girls. 

Feeling gentle hands back to stroking her fingers underneath the table, Veronica shared another smile with the girl she loved sat across from her. 

Toni groaned. "For fucks sake, just kiss her already." She teased. 

"It's not like you don't do it enough already." Cheryl seconded.

Veronica and Betty met each other's eyes. 

It was tempting. 

Extremely. 

Maybe a quick one wouldn't hurt. 

Before Veronica knew it, Betty's hand slipped out of her's, there were a pair of lips on her for a few seconds and then they were gone just as quickly as they arrived. She opened her dark eyes, beaming as a pair of blue ones met hers once more mischievously, the blonde plopping back down to her seat. 

Betty's blue eyes rolled at the immature kissy noises and fake gagging their friends began doing as the boys joined back in that very moment. 

Veronica knew better—they were just happy that Betty had been coming back around since _him_.

"Look who's gone soft, Pea." 

Fangs jokes as if the blonde weren't sat beside them, Sweet Pea plays along and puts on a solemn expression. 

"I know, Fangs. First Toni, now our little Betty. Shame." He shakes his head disappointedly, accusing. "Hey, you and Keller will be next."  
  
Fangs scoffs. "Please, Kevin and I will never be that cringe level sappy." 

"Alright, shut up." Betty's cheeks had slowly been growing red during the boy's charade. "Sappy or not, I'll still kick your ass." She glares. 

Cheryl whistles. 

Toni woops. "Tell'em, blondie." 

Sweet Pea and Fangs still smirking, reluctantly put their hands up, or hand in Fangs' case, giving in. 

"Yeah, tell'em..." Veronica joins in, lowly. 

Maybe, just maybe, a little bit turned on at the blonde's demanding tone—the brunette bites down on her lower lip and with hooded eyes, ran her foot up the blonde's calf.

Betty looked at her silently, the corner of her lips pulling up only slightly but knowingly. 

"Seriously?" Cheryl rolls her eyes and cut into their moment once again, she holds up a finger and gestures between them. "For the record, TT and I aren't nearly as sappy as these two." 

The redhead received four blank incredulous stares in return. 

"We're not." Toni vehemently defends them, fingers tapping at the end of the table. 

The blank incredulous stares continued. 

" _We're not_." Cheryl snapped, echoing her girlfriend. 

Someone was seriously in denial 

Veronica, Betty, Fangs, and Sweet Pea, share a look. 

"Yeah, o-kay." Sweet Pea reaches out, snatching up a balled up napkin. "Anyway, since this is a rematch and everything, winners up first, losers last." 

Toni waves a hand and slumps over the table, obviously still upset at their loss. "Cherry and I are guessing this time." She shoots an accusing look over at Veronica. "You have like thousands of gangster mob movies, Lodge, I've seen it in your dvd collection at your house." 

"For the last time Topaz, my dad owns those." 

Sweet Pea snorts, while unfolding the napkin in his hand and skimming it over. "Of course he does, guy definitely busts kneecaps for a living." 

Veronica rolled her eyes at the jab and Betty hits him. 

"I really don't think we can judge, we're literally in a gang dumbass." 

"Thanks babe." Veronica shot the blonde a grateful smile. 

"Alright, one more person hits me, and imma start busting kneecaps!" 

Sweet Pea yelped dramatically.

Several heads in the diner turned with glares. 

Betty and Toni chortle.

Cheryl shakes her head, 'I wish I didn't know any of you' written all over her expression as she stole Toni's cherry cola to down it. 

Veronica smile stretches, shaking her head in disbelief. Not giving a damn what her 'fellow' Northsiders thought. 

Fangs placed a finger in his ear. "Dude." He groans. "Like they need anymore reasons to kick us out. Quiet the hell down and play." 

"Fine, fine." Sweet Pea conceded, not looking the least apologetic as he cleared his throat. "Ahem." He smirked, getting into character as he stared his friends down to deliver the line. "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass and-" 

"And I'm all out of bubblegum." 

A new voice came, cutting the Serpent off. 

The air between the group shifted almost instantly. 

Veronica watched warily as Betty's eyebrows furrowed, blue eyes slowly shifting upward to beside their booth. 

Archie stood, smiling sheepishly. 

"They Live, right? Classic."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, he better hope he brought back up." 
> 
> "And those are famous last words, Andrews."
> 
> "Did you see...?" 
> 
> "Did I see...what?"

Veronica watched her girlfriend's jaw visibly clenched, her expression becoming void of the emotion she was showing just seconds ago. 

She wasn't the only one. 

Sweet Pea, Fangs, Cheryl, and Toni all wore matching glares, supplying zero response. 

Veronica winced as her nails anxiously scraped the outside of her, Betty's, milkshake glass. Despite what he had done in the past, Archie was still her friend and she didn't want to have to split her time and choose sides—just because she knew she'd always choose her love's—she wasn't about to without trying. 

"Uh." Archie clears his throat awkwardly, finding her eyes. "Sorry I'm late, football practice."

The brunette shrugged, sending him a reassuring smile. 

"It's totally fine, Arch."

All heads turn on her. 

"You _invited_ the fucking nark?" 

Sweet Pea's voice was first to slice harshly through the tension that had filled the space. 

Veronica shot him an unimpressed look. 

But by the look on everyone elses faces she was clearly outnumbered in her position. 

Betty looked at her especially betrayed. 

The brunette features softened as she tried to reach out for the blonde underneath the table again— and failed.

The brunette's heart dropped as Betty pulled away from her. 

"What are you doing here? We under arrest or are you just here to shoot me?" 

Fangs glowered at the redheaded boy, maneuvering his sling around. 

Toni scowls. "Yeah, where's your guys from your little circle group?" 

Cheryl emits a huff. "Oh, he better _hope_ he brought back up." 

Betty stayed silent, glaring suspiciously. 

Archie sighed, raising his hands in surrender. 

"They're not my guys. Not anymore."

Sweet Pea scoffed, arms crossing tightly over his chest. "Yeah, sure."

Veronica eyed the boy unimpressed for the second time. "Can you hear him out?" 

"Why should we?" Betty cut in for the first time, empty expression distorting into one to match her aggravation. "We don't owe him anything." 

The blonde's harsh words were directed at Archie, worrying Veronica, not once did her girlfriend meet her eyes. 

"She's right." Fangs joined in. Not helping. 

Archie glanced uneasily between them, shifting on his feet, features twisting apologetically as he tried again to settle the dust. "Look, I'm here alone and I'm here in peace, I swear. Veronica just invited me to hang out with you guys."

Cheryl looked over at the brunette accusingly. " _Awful_ idea." 

Veronica glared back. 

Archie scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, only continuing. 

"I-I also wanted to apologize, about everything. From now on, I'm on your side. The _right_ side." He promised firmly, a glint of hopefulness in his eyes. 

Sweet sneers. "Well, that makes it all better." He mockingly claps his hands together. "Hey, everything's cool now gang, the nark is on our side." 

"Must be our lucky day." Fangs followed up in more sarcasm. 

" _Truly_ , what did we do to deserve him?" Toni added. 

"Something horrendous, I'm sure." Cheryl continued. 

Veronica huffs out an annoyed breath. 

"Guys!" She semi-shouted, successfully capturing their attention. "He means it. Just give him a chance, please."

Betty darted from the redhead to the brunette. 

Everyone seemed to become less hostile, even Cheryl and Sweet Pea, at her words— no one replied. 

Veronica turned on Betty, forcing the blonde's eyes to meet hers and pleaded. " _Betty_." 

Betty kept her gaze a moment, then looked away. She and the gang communicated silently without her, something they did often—which might have been a Serpent thing, but Veronica thought wasn't any less offensive but stopped thinking about the moment her girlfriend seemed to reach an agreement with the group and sighed before snatching a crumbled napkin from the middle of the table and quickly tossing it into a fumbling Archie's two hands. 

He shot the blonde a bemused look. One to match Veronica's own. 

Betty shrugged and yielded. "Well? Sit." She gestured the redhead to take a seat at their booth. 

Archie looked a mixture of appreciative and equally as surprised as he obliged. 

The others seemed to have given in too, Cheryl and Toni shrugging, Sweet Pea sighing before shouldering a less than enthusiastic Fangs to scoot over to let the redhead to squeeze in beside them. 

Veronica shot Betty a grateful look, while the Betty's features softened. 

"Their team needs all the help they can get anyway. You give them clues on that movie, they try to guess. Next winner is ultimate champion." 

Fangs snorts. "AKA, us." 

Cheryl rose an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms. "Don't be so sure on that, Captain Hook." 

Veronica smiled as she felt the uncomfortable air began lifting. 

"Hope you're a better hinter than Topaz here, Archie." She offered across the table to the redhead, ignoring Toni's eye roll. 

Archie chuckled, looking around the table. "Well, I don't wanna brag but I've never lost a game of pictionary." 

Betty scoffed at him. "Well, this isn't pictionary." 

"And those are famous last words, Andrews." Sweet Pea narrows his eyes, which couldn't decide on playful or threatening. 

Archie had apparently decided on playful as he scanned the napkin in his hand and smirked at the two and challenged them. 

"Game on."

While the game went on, Betty's hand grabbed and laces with Veronica's once again, the girls twinkling catching each other's eyes as the hours passed and the tensioned lessened. Everyone actually began to have a great time, played together, laughed together, even slowly began warming up to Archie's unexpected presence. 

It was dark out when the group left the diner together, Pop's neon sign being the only light beaming down on them from the parking lot. 

Betty's arm was wrapped closely around Veronica's shoulders, giving the brunette that warm and safe feeling she always did. 

Sweet Pea, Fangs, Archie walked along side them. While Cheryl and Toni walked ahead to the redhead's car, holding hands and giggling like children. 

_Not as sappy my ass_

Veronica thought. 

"Sorry not sorry about kicking your ass tonight, princess." Fangs smirks, patting the shorter girl's hair despite her glare. "Later." He laughed and took off across the street from the diner where three motorbikes were parked, his, Sweet Pea's, and Betty's.

Sweet Pea snorts. "Seriously glad to have you on the team, Lodge." He grins and throws an arm around the brunette, purposefully doubling up on Betty's arm that was already across her and ignoring the blonde's look of protest as he continued. "Keep sticking with us and maybe we'll teach you a thing or two, I'm sure _some_ of us has already started, am I wrong, Betts?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, a small smile pulling at her lips at the boy's teasing. She peered up at Betty, who was not amused, the blonde used her own arm to flick her friend's arm from around her and the brunette's smile stretches wider. 

"Goodbye, Pea." Betty voiced at him rather forcefully. 

Sweet Pea snickered, wisely backing off and sending a nod the girls' way, and then a hesitant one Archie's way, before jogging away to join Fangs across the street. 

The three left shook their heads as they stopped to watch the two leather clad boys hop on their bikes and rev up. 

Fangs peered around his taller friend, balancing with one hand on the handlebar. "Coming!?" He called over the distance and roaring engines. 

Veronica reached up and latched onto the hand of the arm around her, looking up into her girlfriend's blue eyes with a barely concealed pout. 

'Stay'

Noticing, Betty waved the boys off without hesitation, quickly calling that she'd catch up to them. 

Sweet Pea and Fangs both nod and ride off, racing no doubt to see who could get back to the Southside the fastest, as they always did. 

The girls share turn to each other, sharing a smile.

A voice clears beside them. 

Archie. 

"Hey uh, Veronica, could I talk to you a moment?" 

The redhead stood there awkwardly with his hands tucked into his jean pockets, mostly meeting Veronica's eyes. Meaning he obviously wanted to speak _alone_.

Veronica exchanged a look with Betty.

Betty reluctantly slipped her arm off her shoulder, not at all pleased. 

The brunette softly ran her hand down her girlfriend's arm, stopping at her hand and squeezing assuringly, allowing her touch to linger before she pulled away to follow Archie.

Betty huffed in annoyance, watching them. 

Archie led Veronica a little further down from the very front the very front of Pop's before stopping in front of her, out of hearing range but not out of sight of Betty. 

Archie frowned over the brunette's shoulder. "She's glaring at me."

Veronica rolled her eyes. 

"She's not glaring at you, Archie." 

The brunette turned her head to spot her girlfriend who was standing a little ways a way with her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets, and indeed, glaring directly at the redhead. She sighed and turned back. 

"Okay, she's glaring a _little_ bit." 

Archie snorted. 

Veronica hurried to assure him. 

"Please ignore her, she's just a little...protective." 

"Jealous." 

They had spoken at the same time. 

Veronica's eyebrows shot up. "Jealous?"

Archie shrugged, albeit sheepish as he stared down into her bewildered irises. "Well, I mean, isn't it obvious? She sees me as competition, because we..." 

"Because we're... _friends_?" 

She finishes for him, desperately hoping it was what he was going to say too. 

"We're just friends Archie, you know that don't you?"

There was a second of hesitation as the brunette stared him down before he quickly answered. 

" _Yes_." Archie practically forced out, something akin to small panic set in his eyes.

Veronica gave him a look. 

The redhead immediately began to rectify his outburst, sighing and voicing much softer.

"I mean yes, Ronnie, of course I know that." He tried to assure her, reaching out then drawing back after another moment of hesitation. 

There was a weird silent pause between them that Veronica absolutely dread. Regardless of any Northside versus Southside quarrels or any one-sided feelings he held for her, Archie was her friend first. It hurt to see him hurt. 

But Veronica would never feel guilty about choosing to be with Betty. 

So, she didn't question him further and nodded slowly to his answering lie, letting it go in hopes of it not coming back to bite her in the backside. 

"Good." 

Another uncomfortable beat passed.

Archie scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. Listen, Veronica...I-I actually wanted to talk because I just wanted to tell you that being here tonight and giving me a second chance, it meant a lot to me, so thank you." 

The words caused Veronica's gaze to soften.

The redhead continued, shooting her a small smile.

"And you _are_ my closest friend Ronnie, and I don't want to lose you, so if hanging out with Southsiders, even if dating one of them is what you want, then I'm totally with you." 

The brunette's heart warmed, clasping her hands out in front of her as to not to pull the sweet and sincere boy into her embrace. 

Archie shrugged. "Plus, they're not so bad." He continued, chuckling a little as he probably recalled the night and shook his head, tone regretful and sincere. "I never should have let anyone cloud my judgement of that, I'm sorry." 

_Oh_

Wordlessly, Veronica pulled the redhead into her arms, which Archie seemed to return immediately but tentatively. 

"Maybe in another world, Archie." She whispered sadly, feeling the redhead's despondent nod against her before she pulled away with a small smile. 

"See you later, Arch."

Archie returned it weakly.

"See you later, Ronnie." 

Betty met her halfway as the brunette turned to walk away, their fingers coming together and fitting perfectly in between one another's once again. 

"Betty." Archie raised his voice and waved a single hand at the blonde in retreat. 

Betty returned the gesture just as awkward. "Andrews." She nods, as Archie wandered back over to his parked truck. 

Veronica snorted at their awkwardness. 

Betty looks down at her, eyebrows knit. "Everything, okay?" She asked in concern. 

Veronica smiled. "Perfect." She voiced, leaning into the blonde's body.

Betty began to smile, then sniffed the air and frowned.

"What?" Veronica rose a curious eyebrow at the reaction. 

"You smell like him now." The blonde replied, grumpily, the brunette had been doused in the cologne she had picked up from her hug with Archie. 

Veronica rolled her eyes. 

"Oh, come on. You two desperately need to get over yourselves."

She pulled Betty along with her further into the parking lot as she distantly spotted Cheryl's cherry red convertible still parked. 

The two thought it would be a good idea if she only drove home with Cheryl and Toni while her dad didn't know about them. 

"So?" Veronica voiced cryptically, cutting through her girlfriend's grumbling underneath her breath.

Betty's frown smoothed over into a questioning look. "What?" 

"You had a good time tonight, even _with_ Archie there, admit it." 

The blonde shook her head. 

"It was...okay." She admitted halfheartedly. 

Veronica scoffed. 

"And Archie?" She pressed. 

"He was okay too." Betty sighed, revealing to her even more reluctantly so seeing the brunette's features lighting up and was quick to rectify while scoffing. "Don't get too excited, I wouldn't take a bullet for him or anything. Hell, I wouldn't even take a _booster shot_ for him-" 

"Shhh." Veronica cut the blonde off again, leaning up to peck her sweetly before pulling away. "You had me at okay, Betty. Thank you for giving him a chance for me." 

An adoring smile spread across Betty's lips. 

"For _you_." 

Veronica stopped walking, spinning around to stand toe to toe with her sweet blonde, nearly nose to nose. She places her hands against either side of the girl's cheeks, smirking. 

"Hoping to gain a few brownie points, are we?" She flirts, leaning close.

Betty hums teasingly, hands resting on her hips. "Mm...that depends." She gently pushes the brunette backwards, following in her footsteps. "...have I?"

"It's possible." Veronica pulls the blonde closer, allowing herself to be walked backwards, trusting not to be run into anything while being distracted by her girlfriend's tempting lips. " _Very_ possible." 

Betty matches her smirk.

As Veronica about to seal the deal, Betty suddenly stiffened against her. 

Confused brown eyes flutter open expecting to meet her girlfriend's blue eyes but instead met her cheek.

The blonde had leant forward at an awkward angle to glance around the brunette, her nose brushing up against her cheek as she held her closer.

"Um Betty? Everything okay, babe?" Veronica drew away to eye Betty skeptically, her skepticism becoming concern after seeing the blonde's face. 

Betty's eyes flickered rapidly and jittery into the darkness over Veronica's shoulder. She could have sworn she saw something. 

"Did you see...?" 

"Did I see...what?" 

Veronica chanced a glance over her own shoulder, but seeing nothing but the dark parking lot sans one car, she turned back to face the blonde, her eyebrows furrowed. 

Betty shook her head, gaze falling back to her girlfriend, but still not quite looking at ease. "Nothing, never mind." She leaned downward, quickly pecking her lips before pulling her to continue walking, dragging her the few feet to Cheryl's car. 

The blonde's grip was a little tighter and her pace speedier than before, Veronica noted in confusion, but before she could voice her concerns they had already reached their destination. 

"Finally." 

Cheryl groaned, elbow leant against her front seat in impatient wait. Unlike Toni, who had her feet comfortably kicked up on the dashboard, arms behind her head, earning an evil eye from her redheaded girlfriend that the Serpent skillfully ignored. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful?"

Betty swiftly swung the back door open for Veronica, the cute smile back on her face.

Veronica smiled wide, reaching up to pat her cheek. "Oh, those brownie points just keep racking up." She teased, then laid a kiss on the smiling blonde's cheek as a goodbye before climbing into get into the back of the convertible. 

Betty watched her closely, closing the door as her hands still remained gripped on the car albeit anxiously. 

Toni threw her arm over Cheryl's seat, both girls peered back and immediately read the blonde's features. 

"Don't worry blondie, we'll take _real_ good care of her." The pink-haired girl teased following a saucy wink from Cheryl. 

Cheryl, Toni, and Veronica all laughed.

While Betty rolled her eyes amused at the girls' antics, she stepped away from the car to return her hands to her jacket pockets.

"God, please don't have too much fun without me." 

"No promises." 

It was Veronica's turn to wink teasingly, right before Cheryl pushed on the gas, nearly screeching out of the parking lot as the three girls argued over which station to listen to.

"Cheryl, I wanna hear Milkshake!"

"In case you've forgotten, Lodge, this is _my_ car. Lana Del Rey, cased closed."

"Not fair, babe! You always get to choose the songs! W..." 

Betty's smile left her as soon as her cousin's red car was out of sight. Her blue eyes narrowed as she glanced around suspiciously. In no time, the blonde was across the street and hopping onto her bike, revving up its engine— the itchy feeling that something or _someone_ was watching her not at all dissipating. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know what it's like to keep things bottled up inside, Betty." 
> 
> "You would tell me if something was wrong, right?" 
> 
> "This is our town, North and Southside alike, someone has to keep our friends and family safe." 
> 
> "Your plan is to have us find him?"
> 
> "Mom! Oh my god, please!"

"You think I'm being paranoid, right?" 

Betty sighed as she leant against the kitchen counter in Fangs' trailer, hands gripped to the porcelain behind her as her friends surrounded her. It had been days and she still couldn't seem to get the itching feeling of being watched that night at Pop's out of her head.

"Yep." Toni responded to her automatically. The pink-haired leant against the back of Fang's small beat up couch across from her with her features certain. Cheryl stood next to her with features not so certain, the redhead's arms crossed over her chest. 

"Betts." Sweet Pea stood next to her, lightly bumping her shoulder. "With everything going on between the North and the South, you probably just think you saw something."

Betty looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes.

Maybe she was going overboard with the watching, but there was no way any of them believed she was seeing things. 

Sweet Pea shrugged at the look. 

" _Or_ maybe you did and it was just a couple of nosy Northsiders wondering what some Serpents were doing on their side of town. Either way, harmless." He playfully patted her on the head as she swatted his hand away. "Don't think about it too much." 

"I say you should trust your instincts." 

Cheryl abruptly spoke, earning looks from both her girlfriend and the boy across from her.

"I'm serious." 

The redhead rolled her eyes, before she solely looked at her, the blonde's interest having peaked at the statement. 

"Just be cautious, _all of us_ should be with Black Hood 2.0 and Ghoulies and Northsiders or whatever the hell else is out that door waiting for our blood." 

They all murmured in agreement. 

"And no matter how paranoid sounding, it's no time for any one of us to be holding anything back from one another. It could get us hurt." 

At her words, Cheryl sent Betty a pointed look that one had to be blind to miss— Sweet Pea and Toni exchanged a look— all of which the blonde ignored, jaw subtly clenching as her gaze fell to the floor below her. 

It had been a while since they talked about _it_. 

The room filled with obvious tension. 

"You're right, babe." 

Toni's voice finally interrupted the silence after a few moments saving her, the shorter Serpent throwing an arm around her girlfriend. 

"I know." Cheryl instantly countered, easily leaning into the girl's side. Her response eliciting three amused eye rolls. 

Sweet Pea scoffed. "Well, even if we can never be too careful. Everything's gonna be alright 'cos we got each other, right?" His voice rose at the end of his sentence long arms swinging out to attach to Cheryl, Betty, and Toni—the three pulling one another close. 

"In unity, there is strength."

They echoed together. 

After detaching themselves Betty was the first to break away from the huddle, once again not missing the exchanged looks from her friends as she moved away to go mope in the corner. Not getting very far. 

While Toni and Sweet Pea ventured off to lounge on the couch, Cheryl followed right behind her. 

"Betty." 

The girl's stern tone caused her to stop in her tracks.

Keeping her back on the redhead, the blonde heaved a frustrated huff. 

"Cheryl, I already know what you're going to say." 

"Well then good, that means I don't have to explain to you again how foolish it is that you're still keeping this from the girl you claim to love." 

Betty turns at that, closing the short distance between herself and the shorter girl. "I don't 'claim' anything, Cheryl. I _do_ love Veronica." She defended firmly. 

Cheryl rose an eyebrow, arms still crossed and hip slant daringly. "Really? Then why has it been sixth months and you still haven't spoken two words to her about your dad and what you-" 

"I don't want to lose her. I told all of you guys that and _you_ agreed to keep it a secret." 

The blonde snaps back, eyes flashing as she forcefully cut the redhead off. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, and how's that internal struggle working out for you? I know what it's like to keep things bottled up inside, Betty." 

Betty's fist clenched at her sides. 

The space grew silent again, with Cheryl's glare on her and Sweet Pea and Toni tossing expressions and pretending that they weren't obviously listening from two feet away. 

Eventually the blonde sighed, shaking her head before dragging both hands down her face. 

"Veronica's the first person I've loved since Jug, the first person to get me to open up since what happened to him, a-and if I tell her and she walks away..." 

Her features turned miserable. 

She didn't even want to think about if Veronica found out. 

Luckily, she didn't have to as Cheryl groaned loudly to set about ridiculing her. 

"God, get it through your thick skull, Betty. That girl loves you. Veronica is _not_ just going to walk away, and not without a fight. You may be my cousin but she has been my best friend for years besides Toni. I know her." 

Any other time, the words would have brought a smile to Betty's face. Her girl was so headstrong and independent, one of the infinite amount of reasons she loved her.

_But this...telling her...it would be too much, even for her_

Her features remained hardened. 

"I can't. Please just drop it, Cheryl-" 

"Betty, trust me."

Cheryl's voice softened along with her expression, a rare appearance that had the blonde's mouth instantly snapping shut for the redhead to continue, which she did gravely. 

"Keeping it in, keeping _her_ in the dark about this is not going to last very long or end very well for either of you." She vowed lowly. "You love her like you say you do? Then tell her, and soon, before she finds out from someone else." 

Betty gulps.

Down deep, she knew the redhead was right. 

It wasn't that most of the town didn't already know, but like all news people thought as insignificant to themselves in a town, people eventually stopped talking about it. She didn't get as many looks anymore. 

But Betty knew she couldn't hide it forever. 

Although, she could sure as hell try. 

An intense look was shared between the two girls, neither willing to yield to the other. 

"Guys, maybe we shouldn't talk about this right now..." 

Toni's slightly raised words caused Betty to glance away to the other two forgotten occupants in the trailer, noting somberly that she was receiving the same just as pitying and pointed looks the pink-haired girl and Sweet Pea. 

They were nodding meaningfully towards the firmly closed bedroom door in the furthest corner of the trailer— just as it swung open and popped out a steel-faced Fangs. 

"Hey, you guys ready?" 

His voice was void and just a little too shaky as he fully stepped out into the room, revealing a slightly too big all black suit, handed down from his dad Betty didn't doubt. He was struggling to fix his black tie with one hand. 

The blonde looked down at her own all black attire, still in her Serpent jacket dark shirt and jeans. Toni was dressed similarly and Sweet Pea too, Cheryl wore a black dress dull to her usual style.

Solemn looks passed around the trailer, followed by collective nods. 

Cheryl strided over to the boy, straightening his tie and receiving a weak grateful smile in return. 

Sweet Pea followed, walking over and throwing his arm around his best friend comfortingly. He led him to the door with Betty and Toni patting him gently on the shoulders. 

Silently, the five Serpents made it out of the small trailer together and onto four black motorbikes— all too fitting for the all too familiar occasion—not counting Cheryl's all red motorbike she deemed more appropriate than her even brighter convertible. 

With heavy hearts and darkened features they started their engines and set out towards the Northside.

...

Hollow. 

Stale.

Entirely too still and entirely too quiet. 

So much so that it chilled anyone's skin who dared walk on the grounds. 

The Riverdale cemetery was just as Betty remembered it. 

As she arrived her fingers had brushed lightly over the gravestones of the Southsiders and Serpents lost— even those who deserved to be exactly where they were—all of the gang's did. It was a Serpent tradition after all. 

The blonde lingered a little when she brushed over the stone labeled 'Jughead Jones', a faint expression of soft remembrance crossed her features and was gone in seconds.

It was true that she had found peace when she met Veronica, it did nothing to stop the stirring resentment that the pathetic corrupt town had yet again taken someone else entirely too young. 

Midge Klump.

The funeral was small, she recognized with mostly Northsiders in attendance. Receiving expected dirty looks upon their arrival, she, Sweet Pea, and Toni automatically decided trekking to the very back of the cemetery field to pay their respects from afar. Cheryl and Fangs were the only ones that really knew the poor girl. They stood to the front of Midge's casket, Kevin on Fangs' arm as support and Veronica on Cheryl's, blank expressions and red roses gripped in each of their hands. 

Betty kept a watchful eye on her girlfriend. 

Once again, that itching feeling was creeping up the back of her neck. 

The blonde's fingernails dug uncomfortably into the palms of her hands by her side, gaze falling over her left shoulder. 

Nothing. 

She watched the empty rear of the graveyard a few moments longer before calmly turning her attention back to the service she stood on the outside of, but her thoughts were anything but calm. 

The blonde's eyes switched left to her friends. Sweet Pea and Toni stared straight, clearly not having seen or sensed anything she had. 

_You're not going crazy, Betty. Stop. You're not like..._

A steel blue gaze flickers right, even further into the field of tall unkept grass...she knew exactly where it was located in spite of never visiting it. 

Her fingers had felt ice cold brushing against the corroded stone earlier, her heart an unqualified match. 

Betty's breath instinctively hitched as a smaller hand suddenly slipped into her own, curling around her fingers naturally and preventing her from clawing at her palms— warming her instantly.

"Hey."

She met the soft brown eyes of the girl she loved. 

The blonde realized she had been too distracted in her slowly darkening thoughts to notice Veronica secretly breaking away from the gathering, finding her amongst the collection of dozens dressed in the same dark clothing.

Veronica wore a dress similar to Cheryl's, black and bleak as appropriate for a funeral. 

As inappropriate as it might have been, Betty still thought she looked absolutely gorgeous. 

A faint smile lifted the corner of her lips as she simultaneously put her dark thoughts to the back of her mind. 

She gently squeezed the brunette's hand back. 

"Hey back." 

Veronica mirrored her blonde's slightly saddened smile gazing up at her, having noticed it even from afar. 

Both girls draw closer to each other's sides for comfort. They didn't worry about being seen. Everyone, including the brunette's parents attention were solely on the service. 

"Why back here?" The brunette murmured, head resting against the taller girl's shoulder with a sigh as she looked up at her. 

Betty gave her a pointed look. 

"Right." Veronica understood and stroked a hand down her arm apologetically, features softening. "Sorry." 

Betty started to tell the brunette it wasn't her fault before she saw something in the corner of her eye. The blonde's head swung around quickly. 

There was nothing. Again. 

She glared into the open field catching the wary gazes of Toni and Sweet Pea and silently shook her head at them, then turned back around only to meet the narrowed eyes of her girlfriend.

"What is it?" Veronica rose a suspecting eyebrow at the blonde's odd behavior. She couldn't help thinking there was something Betty wasn't telling her. _Several_ somethings. 

Betty hesitated, mouth opening then closing shut. She thought better of actually telling the truth, she didn't need to worry Veronica anymore than she already looked at her classmate and cheer teammate's death brought on by a serial killer that was still on the loose. 

Instead, the blonde gave her most assuring look. 

"Nothing to worry about, babe." 

"Betty." 

Veronica's voice was instantly a mix of stern and worried, as was her expression. 

"Its nothing, V, I promise." 

Betty's gaze dropped to her boots planted on the grassy ground as she lied, the guilt flooding her. 

Veronica sighed. 

" _Hey_." 

The blonde heard the brunette's voice soften then her hands on her cheeks turning her to face her and meet her eyes, her girlfriend spoke comfortingly. 

"I know this is bringing on a lot of memories for you. I'm sorry." 

Veronica's gentle fingers brushed across Betty's cheeks, creating a flush before she suddenly frowned and seemed to stare right through the blonde. 

"But I also know there's something else, you keep looking over your shoulder." She added firmly. 

Betty swallowed nervously, letting her eyes wander. 

"Betty." 

The blonde's gaze instantly snapped back to the brunette at her pleading tone. Her heart ached as she noticed the red rims around those brown eyes she loved, the sad glassy look in her irises. 

"You would tell me if something was wrong, right?" 

Veronica's eyebrows knit together with the thought that Betty for some reason wouldn't. 

"Yeah. Right." 

Betty breathed the words hastily, glancing around and quickly pecked the brunette. Pecking the frown away from her lips, she somewhat satiated the brunette's worried thoughts. 

"Now, how are _you_ holding up?"

The blonde asked tenderly looking down at the brunette, although her want to change the subject wasn't as pressing than making sure her girlfriend was okay. She was pleased at the small smile that began pulling at the corner of the shorter girl's lips at her gesture, biting on them to try to hold some of it back. 

Veronica sniffled, her thoughts turning to Midge as her doubts faded. "Managing." 

Betty had her arms around the brunette in seconds. Bringing Veronica into her and laying a soft kiss to the top of her head, the girl nuzzled her head into her girlfriend's neck and the blonde held her for the rest of the service. 

After the service the couple mindfully broke apart as the people were, sharing sad polite nods and returning to their cars. 

So the gang followed quietly—Veronica looped her arm through Betty's, while the blonde hands filled into her jacket pockets to stop from itching anxiously at her sides. Sweet Pea and Toni walked beside them, heads bowed before they were joined by Fangs and Kevin still arm and arm and equally glassy-eyed. 

Cheryl had taken to the side of Mrs. Klump as the woman wept, comforting her before the town sheriff approached them. 

It was Betty that saw it before it happened.

Mrs. Klump reached out slapping the man, the sound ricocheting across the cemetery. 

She exchanged a look with Veronica before slowly bringing them to a stop.

Veronica's eyes were wide and her hand covered her mouth, she on the other hand hadn't seen the reaction coming at all. 

The others stopped too, just about everyone's attention on the scene. 

"You were supposed to be protecting our children! You should be ashamed of yourself!" 

The sheriff opened his mouth, but the grieving woman had already stomped off still sobbing. 

"Your days of failing this town over and over again are numbered." 

Cheryl scowled, coming to stand in front of him. 

Betty tensed, hoping the redhead wouldn't pull a similar stunt and get herself arrested for assaulting a police officer. As useless as he was.

Veronica squeezed the blonde's arm around her's soothingly. 

"We will not rest until the miscreants at fault for shooting Fangs Fogarty, murdering Jughead Jones in cold blood, and murdering our sister is rightfully _punished_." 

Cheryl spat at him with conviction before imitating Mrs. Klump's walk off. The redhead got on her motorbike and rode off, not without a glance back at one Serpent in particular. 

"I'll go after her." Toni sighed, rushing off and hopping on her own motorbike after her girlfriend. 

Wordlessly, the rest of them stood around not knowing how to react, until Kevin sighed. 

"Poor Mrs. Clump."

Betty and Veronica both looked over and saw the boy's eyebrows furrowed in what they could only guess was disappointment at his father, they shared a brief look just worriedly. 

Sweet Pea frowned, leaning over. "I didn't know Midge and red knew each other like that, also, tell me I'm wrong but the only one of us that comes close to her sister is Betty here and she's still alive." 

The boy paused and reached over Veronica to prod Betty's cheek skeptically, his dark eyes narrowed. 

Betty rolled her eyes while Veronica lightly swatted his hand away, shaking her head before responding. 

"Midge was a vixen." 

Sweet Pea shrugged. "So?" His puzzled expression remained unchanged. 

Veronica sighed. 

"What's that Serpent rule? You harm one of us you harm us all?"

She looked to her girlfriend for confirmation, and Betty and Sweet Pea nodded solemnly before she continued. 

"We're co-captains, but Cheryl was captain over the cheer team long before I even moved here, she really got to know Midge." 

Her voice shook a little. 

It was Betty's turn to squeeze her arm around the brunette, pulling her closer. 

"So you think she feels responsible?" 

Kevin piped up, looking crestfallen. 

Veronica simply looked at him, which was all they really needed to know. 

A low growl had all their heads snapping left. 

Fangs had an angry fist clenched to his side, having remained silent through the duration of the conversation he bursted. 

"God, I'm so tired of this fucking town fucking with all of us!" 

The boy stormed off red faced and ignoring his boyfriend calling behind him, a look of revenge in his eye that Betty cursed...she had seen it in the mirror enough times to know what dangers it could lead to. 

"Fangs!" 

Kevin raced after him, but it was of no use as Fangs had already mounted his bike and rode off. 

"Shit!" Sweet Pea threw his arms in the air. 

Veronica sucked in a breath, her concern doubling whilst Betty quietly groaned. 

"Great." 

"Pea." The blonde turned to the tall boy, who was already taking off after his best friend. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." She called as he nodded his assurance and legged it. 

Sweet Pea got on his own bike, throwing meaningfully raised eyebrows back at Kevin stood pouting not far from where his boyfriend disappeared. 

"Hop on, Keller."

Kevin's features lit up. He didn't hesitate—ignoring the half-hearted protests of his father and was gone in seconds. 

Betty swore, ducking her head and Veronica bit down on her lower lip, slipping their arms out of each other's. 

They were getting looks and glares, valid after five out of seven of them had just quite loudly stormed off from a funeral. 

Veronica turned, worried dark eyes looking up at her girlfriend. 

"Betty-"

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." 

Betty immediately shushes and assures, only half convincing herself as ran her hands up and down the frowning brunette's bare arms—her touch raising goosebumps. 

Veronica tried to believe the blonde, and Betty could tell in the way the brunette attempted to look assured and move closer to her. In seeing the girl still worrying her lip, the blonde abandoned being careful with her touches and gently pulled the brunette's lip from between her teeth— both of them wanting less space between them. 

Betty sighed, getting lost in her girlfriend's seemingly endless swirling brown pools instead.

 _How could things possibly get any worse?_ She thought. 

"He's right, you know." 

The couple quickly drew away from each other at the new voice.

Turning towards it, the blonde couldn't help but to roll her eyes. 

_Of course_

Archie approached them in his black suit and tie. In all honesty Betty had barely even noticed his presence, but Veronica had stuck by him the entire service. 

"Archie..."

The brunette gave him a gentle smile before reaching out to pull the boy into a hug, which he returned wholeheartedly and nodded to Betty over the brunette's shoulder.

"Betty."

"Andrews." 

The blonde remained passive and wrapped around Veronica's waist possessively, 'subtly' pulling her back to her side as soon as the brunette released the redhead from her embrace, ignoring the raised eyebrow that the shorter girl sent her that told her she wasn't being subtle as she thought. 

She playfully glared at the brunette and Veronica playfully glared back, both slowly leaning forward. 

"Um, so what Fangs said..." 

Archie awkwardly cleared his throat.

Betty and Veronica's attentions snapped back to him, the blonde's expression significantly more annoyed than the brunette's own abashed look. 

"What about him?" Betty's eyes narrowed. 

A hard look passed over Archie's features. 

"I agree, with what he said about this town, and someone needs to do something about this. It isn't right." 

Betty scoffed incredulously, not believing one word. 

"And what would your privileged pampered ass know about what's wrong and what's right in this town?"

" _Betty_." Veronica immediately admonished her, bumping the blonde's shoulder and legitimately glaring. 

Betty winced, more apologetic towards the girl she loved stood next to her than the redhead stood in front of them. "Uh, sorry, reflex." She shrugged. 

Archie sighed, shaking his head. "No, you're right. I was blind to it, but I'm not anymore. Midge was my friend too." He glanced around and leaned in conspiringly close, voice lowering. "I think Cheryl was onto something."

The girls exchanged a look.

"Onto what exactly?" 

Veronica reciprocated his lean in, her curious eyebrows furrowed to match Betty's own. 

Archie gave them an evident look. 

"I mean getting justice. For Fangs, and for Midge, and for Ju..." 

Jughead. 

The redhead trailed off mid-sentence as Betty crossed her arms, staring him down and watched him visibly think better of finishing his sentence. 

Veronica shook her head at him. 

Archie gulped, picking up where he left off omitting the name. "Listen, what I'm saying is they deserve it. All I've done is talk to Sheriff Keller and he hasn't done anything." He huffed of frustration, tone reflecting the sudden perseverance in his expression. "So, I say we do."

Veronica's furrowed eyebrows slowly rose in surprise, while her girlfriend spoke her thoughts exactly. 

Betty echoed the redhead's huff from her nose, more out of disbelief. "And how do you propose _'we'_ do anything?" 

"By finding Midge's killer."

Archie's answer was immediate, face still set in determination, despite the couple's obvious looks of incredulousness. 

"The...Black...Hood?" Veronica voiced slowly, she looked at the redhead like he grew three heads. "Your plan is to have _us_ find him?" She hissed at him lowly. 

Archie didn't seem fazed, shrugging. "And take him down, what do you guys think?" His eyebrows rose in anticipation. 

It was dangerous, and risky, not to mention it could get them killed. 

Betty couldn't help to be a little impressed. Maybe the guy was less of a yellow-belly than she thought...not that she would ever admit it aloud. 

"I think it's insane." 

Her girlfriend's protest pulled her out of her thoughts. 

Veronica released a heavy sigh, expression of unease. 

"I don't know, Arch." 

Archie pressed on. 

"Come on, Ronnie. If the sheriff won't do anything, then who will? This is our town, North and Southside alike, _someone_ has to keep our friends and family safe." He voiced urgently, while looking between them. "Shouldn't we protect the people we love and care about?" 

Unfortunately, he made a lot of sense.

The words ignited something within Betty as her blue eyes fell onto Veronica. She met with brown eyes that were already on her's, both with an urge to protect each other. As well as their family and friends.

Betty registered that she had fully meant what she told Cheryl earlier. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost the girl currently gazing up at her, and she wasn't about to find out. Not for anything. 

And neither was Veronica. 

One solid look passed between the couple, silently communicating their thoughts before they turned back to the patiently waiting boy in front of them. 

"Let's do it." 

Veronica gave him a small beautiful smile—a stark contrast to the teary worry-eyed look she wore before and Betty smiled a little just looking at the brunette, while nodding her agreement. 

Archie looked a little stunned for a moment, before joyous relief took over his features. 

"But this stays between us for now. Nobody else gets involved in this, nobody else gets hurt." The blonde added seriously. 

Both Archie and Veronica nod in accordance.

Then Betty sighed. 

"So where do we start?" 

....

"You think that he's someone we all know?" 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed with anxiety. 

The brunette's fingers picked restfully at her bedsheets below her as she sat between her friend and girlfriend, legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. 

Betty sat on her right, mirroring her position and frowning, one of the blonde's arms posted comfortingly behind Veronica as she sensed her unease. 

Archie sat to Veronica's left, knees to his chest and arms pulled over them as his own eyebrows pulled together gravely. 

The brunette's parents hadn't been home when they arrived, Betty on her bike and Veronica in Archie's truck just to be safe. Her mother had texted saying she and her father would be staying back to help after the funeral and that it was fine to have Betty and Archie over. 

Further putting her mind at ease, Betty had also received a text from Toni saying she had successfully tracked her girlfriend down and the same for Sweet Pea and Kevin with Fangs. 

Since, they three had spent hours just mulling over the entire Black Hood atrocity. 

"Well I mean it has to be, right?" Archie countered, shrugging. "It's a small town, how else is he getting around and gaining access into places?"

Veronica scoffed. 

"Definitely not in that tacky ski mask and gloves." She grumbled. 

Betty and Archie both shot her looks at the remark. 

"What? You know I'm right." 

A small smile tugged at Betty's lips as she shook her head at the brunette. 

"I agree. With _Andrews_." The blonde clarified pointedly, gazing at the girl in sarcastic criticism. 

Veronica only rolled her eyes smirking while the blonde continued, blue eyes narrowing in question at the redhead next to her. 

"But how the hell are we supposed to draw him out from the hundreds of people in this town?" 

Archie sighed, running his fingers through his short hair. "Well it won't be easy." He stretched out his legs and began rummaging into his school bag he had brung and sat on the bed next to him, then pulled out a plain spiral notebook and pencil. "But I thought we could start by making a list of possible suspects and crossing out the obvious non-suspects." 

The redhead looked at them expectantly for their approval and Veronica squeezed his shoulder assuringly. 

"Great idea, Arch." 

He smiled gratefully. 

The brunette smiled back.

Betty rolled her eyes. 

Veronica's smile only stretched wider as she noted the annoyed eye roll from the corner of her own, she couldn't resist finding the blonde's blatant unnecessary jealously as amusing as it was endearing. 

"Okay, so whose first on the list?"

Archie opened the notebook to a blank page, hovering his pencil over the spaced lines as he looked at them. 

"Sheriff Keller." 

Betty spouted instantly. 

_Sheriff Keller?_

Veronica's head tilted. 

When she and Archie both turned to look at the blonde in question, Betty looked back as if the answer was obvious. 

"The guy refuses to give out any information on the Black Hood, has spent zero time trying to find him and outright threatened you not to either, right?" 

Archie nodded slowly. 

Betty shrugged. 

"So, he's either really bad at his job, or he's exactly who we're looking for." She finished her theory. 

It was a good point, Veronica thought to herself. 

Archie began writing the name down, undoubtedly thinking the same thing.

Proving the towns sheriff was a crazed serial killer would be extremely difficult, not to mention the man was their friend's dad.

"But what about Kevin?" 

Archie's pencil had hesitated by the end of the sheriff's last name. He looked at Veronica, as well as Betty. After all, Kevin had been Veronica's friend the longest and he frequentedly confided in her, mostly about Fangs, but also about the sheriff on rare occasion. 

The brunette sighed, glancing down to her lap. 

"Kevin has his doubts, but he's still his dad..." She frowned, before glancing back up and meeting her favorite blue eyes and Archie's brown eyes separately. "So _if_ we find anything on the sheriff, it needs to be really solid evidence." 

Betty and Archie nod in agreement.

It was then Archie began fiddling tensely with the pencil in his hand, finding Veronica's eyes again uncertainly. 

"How about...Mr. Lodge?" 

For a split second, Veronica's heart leapt at the mere thought before coming to her senses and shaking her head. 

"No." The brunette instantly shot down the accusation. 

Betty hummed in accordance.

Archie's face fell further, sympathy in his eyes as he tried to gently argue. 

"Ronnie, I hate to say it, I know he's your dad and everything but-" 

"No Archie, it's not that." Veronica interrupted him firmly before he could finish and sighed ruefully. "Despite his infamous villainous ways, I know for a fact that the Black Hood can't be my dad." 

Archie sstill looked skeptical while the brunette looked to her girlfriend for help. 

"He was with her that night at the town hall when the Black Hood showed up. I saw him myself, so did you." 

Betty quickly jumped in, shifting closer to the brunette. 

Veronica knew she didn't detail the rest because she was still a little shaken up about the whole ordeal of almost being shot at— apparently more shaken up than Archie, who she supposed was also too busy trying not to be shot to remember her dad being there. 

"Right, so Mr. Lodge is off the list." 

Archie's mind seemed to be put at ease as he shook his head, hastily crossing off the name he had previously written and began hesitating once more. Veronica knew it mostly had to do with Betty's presence being beside her, especially as the redhead looked passed her and eyed the blonde with a sudden wariness. 

"Uh, well then, um..." 

Betty's eyes narrowed. 

"Spit it out, Arch." The brunette urged him encouragingly. 

"Well, how about some Southsiders...or Serpents?"

Veronica instantly felt her girlfriend's body tense up against her. 

Betty's temper flared at the inquiry. "Not a good idea there, Andrews." The blonde growled lowly and sent the redhead a piercing glare.

"Betty..." The brunette sighed in warning, leaning into the tensed arm behind her, hoping to get it to relax along with the rest of the girl's body. 

It worked— but only slightly as Archie opened his mouth again, impressively mirroring the harsh glare being shot at him. 

"I'm sorry, Betty, but we can't afford to exclude Southsiders just because they're your friends. This guy is _murdering_ people and he has to be stopped. Friend or not, you can't protect whoever he is." 

He seemed to be getting riled up. 

"Archie. Relax." Veronica turned on him, voicing sternly and instantly making Archie's mouth snap shut. "Just let her explain." She turned to Betty, the blonde looking entirely too pleased at her having shut the boy up.

"Explain." 

The brunette gave the girl an even sterner stare, causing her little smirk to drop. 

"Fine." Betty sighed at her girlfriend's look, deciding explaining herself would be in all their best interests. "First off, I'm not protecting anyone. If I knew who the Black Hood was, why would I be sitting here? And the entirety of the Southside aren't my friends believe me." 

The ominous statement made Veronica's eyes narrow but Betty kept on, ignoring the look. 

"My family is my mom, Cheryl, Sweet Pea, Toni, Fangs, FP, and Veronica. Sometimes even Keller." The blonde shrugged, counting off before locking a hard gaze on Archie. "They aren't murderers." 

Despite the hardness in her girlfriend's tone, Veronica's heart leapt at Betty calling her family. She realized the blonde had named everyone but her father...what she didn't know was why. 

"And you're saying that for the others?" Archie countered, his own voice was hard, but no match for Betty's. "They aren't capable of murdering either?" His eyebrows rose at the blonde in mock question. 

Veronica inwardly groaned, instantly regretting sitting between the two. 

Betty scoffed at the question.

"Oh no, I think they're _more_ than capable." 

The blonde leaned over Veronica, and threateningly closer to the redhead. 

"So capable that if you're going to put their names down on that list and start going around asking questions like they're suspects, not only are you going to need a bigger piece of paper but you're going to need a wheel chair and a new set of _arms_." 

Archie flinched, and Veronica was sure the thought of his and Betty's first encounter flashed through all of their minds. 

"Okay, Betty." The brunette released a breath, pushing her girlfriend back to where she was on the other side of her and far away from the boy to her left. 

Although Betty let her, the blonde continued her glaring. 

Veronica wondered—and not for the first time—if all Serpents had such short-tempers like their little group had. 

Temper or not, she loved all of Betty. 

She grabbed onto the hand planted rigidly on her bed behind her and squeezed, making Betty tear her eyes away from Archie, her gaze softening automatically as it landed on her. 

"Just tell him, Betty. Please, for _me_."

Betty frowned, eyebrows knitting themselves together as her tense shoulders dropped. "Cruel..." She murmured petulantly at the brunette's tactics. 

Veronica simply rose her eyebrows silently, half expectant half amused until the blonde broke and let out a huff. 

"Alright, fine."

Veronica smiled and leaned over quickly pecking the blonde on her cheek, mindful of who was watching them. "Thank you." She whispered next to the taller girl's ear, interlacing their fingers. 

Betty looked to Archie, gaze considerably less hard as she sighed. "I can only think of one. Tall Boy." 

_Tall Boy..._ the name sounded familiar. 

Veronica had been around the Southside a lot since she began dating Betty and getting to know the rest, she even got to know some of the regular faces— she liked to think she had become one herself— but for some reason she felt like she would have remembered a character called Tall Boy of all names...

Betty caught the brunette's confused look and shook her head. 

"You haven't met him. Fortunately." 

The blonde assured, cryptically so, while looking between Veronica and the boy next to them. 

"He's a Serpent and literally a hit man for hire, with very little morals. He may or may not have made people 'disappear' before, no one asks, and he would stab his own mother in the back for the right amount of cash." 

Betty barely knew the man herself, and knowing his reputation didn't exactly tempt her to. 

"Sounds like an ideal candidate." Veronica retorted sarcastically. 

Archie nodded along in what looked to be full agreement with her.

"Does he have a real name?" He inquired at Betty, pencil rested on his paper again. 

Betty fought yet another internal battle with herself, but eventually gave in with another sigh. "Yeah, Gerald Petite, and you didn't hear it from me." 

Archie immediately began copying the name down. 

Veronica smirks at the blonde. "Wow, doesn't seem so badass when you put it like that. _Gerald_ sounds like someone to bring home to grandma, a perfect gentleman." She bumps her girlfriend's shoulder teasingly. 

Betty snorted at the very thought. "Trust me, he isn't. And let's not cross him if we don't have to, keep any Southside investigations quiet and under-wraps." 

The blonde feared what would happen to any of them if they were found out by her fellow Serpent, Veronica especially. 

"Afraid Gerald is going to kick your cute little ass?" 

Veronica's eyebrows rose challengingly. 

As much as her girlfriend being a Serpent and going on dangerous jobs with even more dangerous gang members scared her, she knew Betty could handle herself. Veronica could see it flashing the blonde's eyes that she wasn't worried about herself, and certainly not Archie— it was her she was worrying about. 

But Betty still put on a half affronted look along with a half smirk. 

"I'm bigger than you. And why would I?" She leaned close, smoothly throwing her arm around the brunette's shoulders and smirked cockily. "He isn't the only badass Serpent around town." 

Veronica tapped her chin and pretended to think before she faked a brightly lit smile directed up at the blonde. "Oh right! I forgot about Sweet Pea." 

Betty's mouth dropped in mock offense, nearly into pout at the words. 

The brunette giggled at getting the reaction she wanted and even heard Archie stifling a chuckle beside her. 

"Kidding!" She quickly kissed her adorably dejected looking blonde's cheek, before lovingly trailing her hands up and down the sides of her face and smiling widely. "I'm just kidding, baby, you know I think you're badass." 

Betty's pout immediately disappeared as she hastily reached up, then playfully flipped her collar up on her leather jacket and wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend.

"And don't you forget it." She voiced rather seriously. 

_Hot_

Veronica thought and giggled again, deciding to play along as she brought a hand away to fan herself like a true cliche fangirl from entirely too many cringey old high school romance movies. 

"Mmm, wow...Danny Zuko, who?" 

She bit on her lip. Similar to the way she found Betty's jealousy both arousing and endearing, she secretly found the blonde's badass Serpent side just as irresistible as her sweet side. 

It showed in the brunette's eyes as Betty grinned lovingly at her before ducking her head a little. An adorable red dusted her pale cheeks. 

"Yeah, a real badass." Archie snorted sarcastically. 

The retort was just enough to snap Veronica out her out of her intoxicating thoughts of jumping the blonde right then and there and forgetting the boy was even there. 

Betty looked up in a flash with a glare at him.

Although, it wasn't as effective as she was still deeply flushed. 

Veronica laughed and leaned into the girl's side with the arm still wrapped around her. She shared a look with Archie, who fortunately didn't look too uncomfortable with their display of affection— though he did quickly look back down to the paper in his lap at the blonde's glare, a smirk still on his lips. 

"O-kay, so we have no Mr. Lodge and that's two sure leads on the Sheriff and Tall Boy aka Gerald. Anyone else?" He wisely changed the subject. 

The three sat for a moment, thinking. It seemed neither of them could come up with anymore North or Southsiders they suspected to be the Black Hood. 

"Archieee..." 

Veronica groaned and rubbed at her temples after a few minutes of quiet silence and incessant pencil tapping on paper the boy began obliviously emitting. 

The tapping continued as Archie was lost in his thoughts, staring upward. 

" _Archie_." She stressed again and whipped her head around to face him, getting increasingly annoyed. 

Archie's stare didn't leave the ceiling, nor did his absentminded tapping cease. 

Betty emitted a loud huff, and before Veronica could open her mouth again, the blonde's arm had reached passed her— in one smooth movement, the pencil was snatched out of the unaware redhead's hand and broke into two. 

The two halves fell lifelessly between the trio. 

Veronica closed her eyes with a light sigh before reopening them in time to see Archie blink down at the halves then up at Betty, his lips parted in disbelief. 

Betty shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. 

"Your tapping was getting a little annoying." The blonde offered unhelpfully, her expression was void but Veronica could see the subtle twinkle in her eye she got from her actions. 

The brunette shook her head. 

Archie's mouth snapped shut, before he slowly closed his notebook and proposed. 

"So, I think maybe we should call it a night." 

"Agreed." 

They all say at once— and in time for her bedroom to burst open. 

The teenager's heads shoot towards the door.

Hermione peeked her head in and promptly placed her hands over her eyes, much to the trio's confusion. 

"Oh! Veronica, sweetheart I'm so sorry!" 

That's when the three glanced at one another and saw how close they were sitting. 

On Veronica's bed. 

With Archie leant over her in reach for his backpack. Betty with her arm casually tossed around her shoulders, even closer to the brunette than the redhead was. 

It didn't look good. 

At all. 

Veronica's eyes widened in horror. 

Archie sat straight upward in a flash as Betty's arm practically flew off her girlfriend. 

Both of them shifted as far away from Veronica as they could without falling off the sides of her bed, which wasn't very and wasn't as if her mother could see them with her hand over her eyes anyway— Hermione was already backing out of the doorway.

Veronica knew she had to stop her before the woman started to draw even more conclusions. 

"No! Mom stop, this isn't-" 

"Don't worry, Veronica! I didn't see anything-" 

"Mom! _Stop!_ " 

She shouted loudly over the woman, feeling relieved when it seemed to work as her mother finally does so, though hesitantly and with her eyes still covered. 

Betty gulped. 

Veronica sighed. 

"You can uncover your eyes, mom."

Hermione slowly peeked through her fingers, then sighed too and dropped the hand— presumably when saw that all their clothes were still on. 

Veronica cringed at the mere thought and shook her head. "It isn't what it looks like, so whatever you're thinking please stop thinking it." She pleaded. 

The brunette's words earned vigorous nods from Betty and Archie. 

Hermione tilted her head, silently looking between them for what felt like a few torturous seconds before fully stepping into the room— then she reached behind her and closed the door.

Veronica realized her father must have been home too and that meant Betty would have to sneak out of window— but there was only one problem they could solve at once— her mother took in a deep breath, gaze softening as she stood in front of them and began speaking in an almost whisper. 

"...if this is like a polyamorous thing, honey you know I won't judge you. I would like to be a _cool mom_ as you kids say, I just think that maybe we need to discuss a few things first-" 

Betty choked.

Veronica groaned, cutting the woman off as she closed her eyes, desperately hoping to wake up from the obvious nightmare she was in. A deep flush painted her face and she didn't even want to look at the other two. 

Betty and Archie's eyes had widened farther as the two began fumbling over each other to explain. 

"Mrs. Lodge, it's not-"

"We don't-"

"We weren't-" 

" _Mom_." 

Veronica's eyes shot open and she placed hands on each of the stumbling pair's shoulders to quiet them, which Betty and Archie did more than willingly. 

Her mother eyed her expectantly. 

"Betty, Archie, and I were just doing..." 

The brunette couldn't exactly tell her the truth.

Her dark gaze searched the room until it fell on the closed notebook in Archie's hands. 

"Homework!" She blurted. 

Betty's eyebrows rose.

There was a slight pause as Veronica ignored the looks her girlfriend shot her alongside Archie before both slowly nodded in unison with her again.

Hermione crossed her arms, only appearing half convinced at her daughter's excuse. 

"If thats what the kids are calling it these days..." She muttered, but not quiet enough for the increasingly reddening teenagers before pointing between them. "So, you and Archie aren't...?"

"No." 

Veronica immediately dismissed while Archie shook his head, slightly dropping. 

"And Archie and Betty aren't...?"

Betty scoffed. "Fuc- _god_ no." 

The blonde nearly swore, until she saw the sharp look her girlfriend's mother sent her and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck correcting herself. 

"That'll be a cold day in hell..." 

Veronica still heard the blonde speak under her breath. She reached out, gripping the blonde's in her own. 

"Betty and I are still dating, _exclusively_ mom, and Archie and I are still friends. Can I not have guy friends?" 

"Not if it was up to your father dear, but I guess that's not a problem anymore now, is it?" 

As her mother eyed Betty meaningfully, Veronica didn't miss the way Archie's gaze fell down the bedspread at the words—but the thought was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she felt her girlfriend lift their joined hands and a kiss being pressed to them. 

She grinned foolishly, sparkling dark eyes only for the blonde beside her. 

Betty grinned back as foolishly. 

A throat clears, and both girls looked to see Hermione patently smiling. 

"Now that doesn't mean that, and excuse me Archie, if you two are in anyway sexually active, you girls shouldn't still be practicing safe s-"

"Mom! Oh my god, please!"

Veronica thought the pigment of her usually tan skin couldn't get any redder. 

Betty's was worse. 

Archie's was a close second to the couple. 

And neither the latter were even meeting the woman's eyes anymore. 

"Okay, okay. I was a teenager once too, you know." 

Hermione threw her hands up in surrender at her glare, but Veronica could still tell how much her mother was visibly enjoying embarrassing them as she reached for the door. 

"You kids continue doing your 'homework', I'll try and keep your father downstairs, mija." 

With that the woman left, closing the door behind her with one last wink. 

Successfully, also leaving behind a completely silent atmosphere of awkward tension.

Betty bit on her slightly upturning lips. 

But despite her best efforts, a mere few seconds went by until the sound of short choking breaths began to break the hush. 

Veronica took one glance over at her girlfriend for the first time since her mother left the room, only to see the girl trying and failing to stifle her laughter. 

The brunette gaped, lightly smacking the blonde across her stomach. 

"Betty!" 

The Serpent's name broke off in her mouth as she immediately couldn't contain her own laughter. Surprisingly, Archie followed.

Soon enough all the three of them had broken out into full blown laughter. 

"You told her we were doing _h-homework_." Betty held her stomach between laughter.   
  
Archie nodded his head fervently. 

"That was a pretty terrible excuse, Ronnie." He guffawed along. 

Veronica mock huffed, shoving them both away from her. 

"Well I'm sorry, if you two had something more convincing you should have said fools!" 

They were laughing even more when they were interrupted by a phone ding from Veronica's nightstand. 

Her phone had lit up with a text.

"Get that for me, baby?" 

Still coming down from her high, the brunette leaned into Betty's side, her nightstand being closest to the blonde. 

Betty easily handed over the device to her, earning another kiss on her cheek she was always elated to receive. 

Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last as her girlfriend quickly sat up from her side, her own smile dropping. 

Veronica dragged her eyes across the text over and over again.

 _Mami: Your fathers coming upstairs. I tried, sweetie._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm Veronica's father, I don't believe we've met."
> 
> "No. You didn't."
> 
> "He's suspicious." 
> 
> "Betty, why don't you ever talk about...your dad?"
> 
> "Oh Betty, I...I'm so sorry."

Veronica swallowed nervously. 

Betty felt herself on immediate high alert. 

"What is it?" Archie pressed. 

"Babe?" Betty followed. 

The brunette's eyes immediately snapped up to meet her girlfriend's. 

"My dads coming up here!" She whispered in panic. 

As if on cue, her father's voice came through the closed door. 

"Veronica!"

Betty's eyes widened. "Crap." 

They could hear the man's footfalls hitting the stairs. 

The blonde instinctively tensed and moved to shoot off the bed and dart out of the window. 

Before she could, the hand on her shoulder stopped her and made her sit back down. 

"There's no time." Veronica thought quickly before wildly gesturing to the blonde's leather jacket she wore. "Just lose the jacket, Betty." 

Betty looked at her with a bewildered expression. 

Neither girl paid any attention to Archie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

" _What_?" The blonde whispered in disbelief. "Veronica, I love you, but are you nuts? You do remember that your father hates me?" 

"He doesn't _know_ you." Veronica scolded, hands cupping Betty's cheeks as she leaned forward and kissed her nose. "Your beautiful face, or the fact that you're a Serpent, okay? He'll just think you're a friend."

Betty leaned into her the brunette's touch, hesitating as she looked deep in her eyes. 

The only Serpent friend her father knew of was Cheryl. The redhead being the exception as she was her best friend, and only after practically begging that the girl be allowed at their home—provided she didn't bring around anyone else, namely Toni. Her Serpent girlfriend. It was a rule that had since been broken a time or two and the man had been furious, she could only imagine if he found out about her and Betty...

"Trust me on this, Betty." 

Veronica pressed anyway. She wasn't letting anything happen to her girlfriend.

Betty nodded slowly at hearing four words. "Always." She assured, before pulling away from the brunette and shedding her skin with no hesitation. 

Veronica took it and tossed it over to the redhead to her left as he was the farthest away from the door. 

"Under the bed, Arch." She said hurriedly. 

Archie listened, stuffing the ball of black leather under the bed on his side. "Okay, am I missing something here?" He whispered in utter bafflement as the couple intensely watched the door. 

Veronica spared him an apologetic glance over. "Archie, you know how my dad hates the Serpents with a passion, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I didn't tell him Betty and I were dating, nor have they met until now." 

The brunette had barely gotten the words out in time before her door was flung open for the second time that night by one of her parents. 

Only it was her father that stepped into the room, and he immediately began scolding. 

"Veronica Lodge, what's with all the noise? I was in my office working on something very important...." 

Veronica shifted nervously as the man trailed off, his dark eyes landing on Betty curiously.

Betty swallowed stiffly. 

Seeing Hiram Lodge in person she had to admit Sweet Pea wasn't far off on the whole mob boss thing, all suit and tie and dark sly features— the blonde slowly slid her hand up her left arm to cover her recognizable snake tattoo. 

"We were just laughing at something, daddy. It won't happen again." 

Veronica spoke innocently and prayed he would leave it at that. She should have known her father would never let anything he didn't know about go unanswered. 

The man disregarded the brunette's words with a simple hum, all but ignoring her and Archie as he continued to eye Betty from his position in the threshold. 

The distance did nothing to calm Betty's nerves, in fact the blonde didn't think she could get any more tense. 

She was wrong. 

Hiram smiled rigidly, nodding his head in greeting. 

"I'm Veronica's father, I don't believe we've met. You are...?" He rose his honest to god diabolical looking eyebrows. 

"Betty." The blonde voiced shortly, her tone as hard as her expression. 

"Hiram Lodge." The man returned, not fazed at all by her attitude and if anything more curious. His taut smile stretched as his head tilted. "Say, I don't think I've seen you around the Northside Betty...new resident?" 

Veronica rolled her eyes. It sounded more like he was interrogating Betty than asking an innocent question, and by the look on her girlfriend's face, she knew it too. All the brunette wanted to do was reach over and take the blonde's hand. 

"No, I live on the Southside actually." 

Betty countered, a combination of steel and unease in her as she hoped the man's vendetta against her Serpent family wasn't as strong as his prejudices against the entirety of the Southside. 

The blonde's fingers spread out against the bedspread, stretching out towards Veronica's. 

A small smile played on the brunette's lips as she glanced down and noticed, her own hand itching forward. 

"The _Southside?_ " Hiram's eyebrows shot even higher with interest, clasping his hands out in front of him. 

Both girl's movements immediately halted and Veronica's almost smile faltered. Her father looked at her with eyes narrowed before his attention back on Betty, who's jaw had set. 

"Huh, you're not one of those delinquent Serpent kids are you?" 

Veronica glowered. "Dad-"

"I think Betty can speak for herself, honey." Hiram smoothly cut her off, not once taking his eyes off the blonde in question.

Betty felt her anger flare again, mentally calming herself by thinking of the girl next to her— even if Veronica disliked her father, she didn't think she'd be very fond of her and a bunch of 'delinquent' Serpent friends showing up at her house to show the man a very _thorough_ very _aggressive_ definition of the word— instead the blonde flashed a fake grimace of a smile. 

"No, sir. I am not." She answered through clenched teeth.

Hiram nodded his head slowly, his facial expression unreadable. 

Neither teenager could tell if he was really convinced.

"Good...good, they're a bad influence. _Miscreants_ that need to be rid of our good town. If you want my advice Betty, keep your distance." He spoke hatefully. 

Veronica held her breath. 

The awkward tension her mother left before was nothing compared to the harsh suffocating tension that filled the space as her girlfriend and father held gazes. 

"Noted." Betty simply voiced after a few passing beats. 

Hiram wasn't going to break her. 

Her response was much to both Veronica and Archie's surprise as their heads shot over at her. 

The blonde certainly still looked like she wanted to tear the man's head off, and Veronica wasn't far behind her. The brunette turned to glare at her father.

"Is there anything else you wanted, daddy? Betty, Archie, and I are pretty busy here." She grounded out, arms crossing themselves. 

Hiram continued smiling as if he didn't notice, the suspicious questioning look in his eye never ending. "Of course, honey." He blinked, not before he glanced further left. "Oh! Where are my manners? Archie, how are you my friend? Will I be seeing you and your father at our next weekly town hall meeting?"

"Wouldn't miss it, sir." 

Archie shot a tight uncomfortable smile, clearly on the same page as the couple next to him. 

"That's what I like to hear." Hiram praised and didn't miss a beat turning on Betty. "Hope to see you there too, Betty." He nodded again to the silent blonde before backtracking and taking his leave.

Betty, Veronica, and Archie all released a breath. 

"Before I forget." 

Hiram whirled back around, looking down at the watch on his wrist. 

The trio held their breaths again.

"Its getting about that time, Archie. I think you should be heading home soon." 

"Of course." Archie nodded knowingly, quickly finishing packing his notebook into his bag per the man's rules. "Yes, sir."

Betty's eyebrows rose questioningly, throwing her girlfriend a look. _Why not make them both leave?_

Veronica read her expression and silently shook her head. She was far through arguing with her father's 'No Boys After Six’ rule. 

If only he knew. 

"Oh Hiram, leave them be." 

Like the godsend she was, Hermione's came from behind her husband and appeared a few moments later placing her hands atop his shoulders. She gives them an apologetic look out of sight of the deliberately protruding man. 

"Let the kids get their work done." 

"Yes, dear." Hiram droned playfully, turning to join his wife out of the room. 

The teens sighed. 

"Oh." 

The trio clamped up once more, Betty grumbling under her breath.

The man had twisted around again, eyeing solely her with a second of hesitation he snapped his fingers. 

"You know, Betty, I never got your last name?" He narrowed his eyes. 

Betty blinked at him blankly. "No. You didn't." 

Hiram let out a sort of hollow laugh, startling them all. 

"You pick them well, sweetheart." He complimented his daughter, the brunette's eyebrows raising skeptically as he nodded at Betty. "I like you, Betty. Maybe you'll stay for dinner."

With one last smirk Hiram finally made a complete exit out of the room with his wife following behind, Hermione shooting them a cautious look. 

The teens waited a few moments before they relaxed, glancing at each other when the man didn't suddenly reappear again. 

"He's suspicious." Veronica sighed out. 

Betty groaned. "Great, one more problem to add to the list."

"So you haven't told your dad and he _really_ hasn't found out about you two by now?" 

Archie sought, a bit of surprise in his tone.

Betty's distrustful glare snapped to him instantly.

"No, and he's not going to." She snapped.

The redhead immediately held his hands up innocently, chuckling softly. 

"Relax, hey, I was just saying because you two are pretty affectionate. It's kind of obvious sometimes." 

"Don't mind her." 

Veronica huffed, giving her blonde a look, Betty at least having enough decency to drop the glare and wince at the powerful stare. The brunette's look softened and as she reached forward and squeezed the blonde's knee.

"Be nice, you're not mad at him, you're mad at my dad. I'm sorry for him."

"Me too." Archie added warmly. 

Betty only nodded, suddenly not feeling very talkative. 

Veronica sighed again, before turning on the redhead. "Archie, please be discreet about this around him." She pleaded, though she knew in her heart she could trust him, even if Betty clearly didn't.

"Of course." Archie gave her a soft assuring smile, shaking his head and shrugged. "I'm on your side, remember?" 

Veronica returned the smile gratefully. "Thank you." Then the brunette nudged her quiet girlfriend.

"Yeah, thanks." Betty echoed, half as enthusiastic but there was an inkling of sincerity in her voice that she hadn't meant to slip out. 

Veronica gave the blonde a knowing look, though she didn't comment on it. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She instead squeezed Archie's arm as he stood from the bed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

"See you tomorrow, Ronnie. See you too, Betty." He waved. 

"Yeah, bye Archie." Betty responded, distracted in her thoughts she barely noticed the goodbye. The blonde did however notice the pause after she spoke and the wide-eyed stares she received from the other two when she finished. 

"What?" She slowly rose her eyebrows, looking between her girlfriend and the redhead. 

Archie chuckled, almost in disbelief at her as he stood at the head of the bed. "I'm sorry, did you just call me _Archie_? Not Andrews?" 

"Why I believe she did Archie." Veronica tacked on, head tilted at the blonde smugly. 

Betty internally cursed.

"No, I didn't." She bluffed quickly, shrugging as she put on her nonchalant facade. "Might wanna get your ears checked out, Andrews. You're going deaf or something."

Veronica snorted incredulously, and the blonde's facade faltered into an eye roll. 

Archie arms crossed, looking just as annoying smug as the girl beside her. 

"No, see I totally heard Archie the first time." 

"You know, Arch, I think _somebody's_ warming up to you." 

Veronica giggled. 

Archie chuckled along. 

"Wow, must be that cold day in hell today." 

Betty glared annoyed at the laughing pair, crossing her own arms she huffed petulantly. 

"Or maybe I just got the A's mixed up in your _stupid_ alliterative name." 

Veronica continued giggling at the blonde's behavior and Archie shook his head in mock disappointment, striding over to the door. 

"Damn, and I thought Serpents were better liars." He remarked with a smile still painted on his lips, the boy left with one last wave back at them, closing the door behind him. 

Veronica had to hum in agreement, although she couldn't deny the ominous nagging feeling that pulled at the back of her mind at the joke, she ignored it. 

The brunette leaned into her girlfriend's side, smirking. "Well, I think the two of you are going to make great friends." She teased, looking upward into the blonde's blue eyes. 

Betty, who had still been glaring at the closed door, turned to look down at the brunette. Her glare morphed into a doubtful amused expression as she saw those beautiful brown eyes sparkling up at her. 

"I doubt it." She challenged, interlocking her empty feeling hand with the girl's. 

Veronica shrugged. "I'm just saying, a Serpent becoming friends with a Northsider isn't unheard of, Betty. Just look at us." Her smirk stretched into a pleased smile as she peered down at their joined hands. 

Betty scoffed. "Right well, we're not friends." She didn't wait for a response before slowly leaning toward the brunette and turning her on her back, inching closer and closer to her all too pleased looking girlfriend as the blonde murmured against her lips. "And Archie isn't just any Northsider, he's technically your ex." 

Veronica wrapped both arms around the taller girl's neck, yanking her down and fully on top of her as she pouted playfully. 

"Only technically."

Betty rolled her eyes before smashing her mouth into the brunette's own, tangling her tongue with her's. 

Veronica returned the kiss eagerly, moaning as the blonde's hands slipped down the length of her body and stopped where her ass pressed into the mattress. 

"You're too tense." She voiced between gasps, soothingly stroking her fingers across the back of the blonde's neck. 

Betty snorted, panting as she fully pulled away and stared down at the brunette. 

"V, your Serpent-hating dads right downstairs with money at his fingertips to erase my entire existence and the only protection between us is a closed door that I'm pretty sure is unlocked, I think I'm allowed." 

"I guess that means you're not staying for dinner?" 

Veronica teased, switching to drawing hearts on her girlfriend's light skin. 

Betty smirks. "Oh yeah, I can hear it now." She lowers her voice mockingly. "Betty? My daughter's no last name friend who comes from the Southside so I automatically hate you? Would you prefer orange juice as a side or _cyanide_?" 

Veronica erupts to laughter.

Betty echoes her, watching entranced at the way the corner of the brunette's eyes crinkled and her luscious mouth curved up stunningly. 

"He wouldn't." 

Veronica retorted, pulling the blonde down to rest their heads against each other's once they had calmed down a bit. 

"And why wouldn't he?" 

Betty rose a humored disbelieving eyebrow as her girlfriend grinned in response. 

"Because I..."

Veronica pressed a soft loving kiss to the blonde's lips, pulling away then reattaching. 

"...won't.." 

Another kiss. 

"...let him..." 

The brunette slowly pulled away to meet the visibly darker eyes of her love's. 

It was her turn to slowly switch their positions so that Betty was on her back, Veronica only half on top of her as she rested on her elbow and looked affectionately down at the blonde. Her long dark hair fell around them like a curtain, teasingly walking her fingers up her girlfriend's arm and across her Serpent tattoo. 

"Stay with me?" She whispered. 

Betty smiled widely. 

Lately, both had been missing the touches of one another when they had to hold back in public. 

"I really should go check on the gang." 

Instead of giving her a real answer, Betty gently pushing her hair behind her ear and began to lean upward.

Veronica only let Betty get as far as brushing her lips against hers before she softly propelled the blonde back, raising a demanding eyebrow. 

Betty let out an exasperated sigh and laughed at her girlfriend's behavior, finally yielding. 

"Have I told you how _very_ persuasive, you are?" 

Veronica smirked at her triumph. "Once or twice." She pressed herself closer to the blonde again, crawling fully on top of her. 

Much to Betty's pleasure, the blonde's hands instantly fell to her backside and squeezed firmly. 

The brunette moaned, her hips bucking deliciously on instinct. 

Veronica could see hunger in the blue eyes under her, but she could also see the lit up pride and amusement in them. 

"Shut up, such a teenage boy..." 

She grumbled, swallowing Betty's laughter that immediately followed a groan as their tongues fought for dominance and their hips began moving more against one another.

Who knew how much time had passed before both girl's let up for air and Veronica's lips placed themselves against the blonde's jaw line, leaving small kisses from her face to her neck and sucking.

"Veronica..." Betty sighed out at the feeling, eyes fluttering shut as fingertips snaked themselves inside her shirt to trace circles on her stomach. 

"What happened to checking up on the gang?" 

Veronica paused all movement to mock, lips upturning. 

Betty groaned in frustration, mind entirely too clouded with the girl on top of her to think. "They've got each other." She quickly shifted, forcing the brunette's lips back onto her own. 

Not that Veronica fought her, in no better aching state herself. Her father possibly walking in on them had become a mere rearmost thought. 

_Fathers..._

The title sparked something within her. Apparently, something was bothering her— and had been bothering her for the past year. 

"Wait, Betty." 

The brunette panted, drawing away from her girlfriend's enticing lips before they could pull her back in again and make her forget. 

"Mm..." Betty hummed distractedly, unfazed at the pulling away as she instead traveled kisses up the girl's neck, leaving small love bites. 

Veronica whimpered, feeling her resolve quickly crumbling. 

_No, no, Veronica. You need answers, keep it together_

There was no way she was going to do that with herself on top of Betty. 

The brunette pressed her hands into the taller girl's shoulders and slowly pushed herself off the oblivious blonde, sitting up and across from her. 

"What's wrong?" 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she sat up on her elbows and reached over to gently place her hand on the brunette's arm. 

Veronica's eyes softened lovingly at her girlfriend's caring nature, no matter how badass she claimed she was. It was why she chewed on her lip and hesitated before voicing her question.

"Betty, why don't you ever talk about...your dad?"

Betty flinched, her hand instantly slipping off the brunette's arm as if she'd been burned. 

And Veronica _certainly_ noticed. 

Dark eyes narrowed in on the blonde as she let out a nervous laugh.

"You really want to talk about my dad, right now?"

Veronica simply nodded silently, not finding the humor in the situation. 

Betty swallowed shallowly as fear struck her and her mind darkened. The blonde stared blankly into her lover's eyes. 

It was the last point and time she wanted to talk about _him_. There would never be a point and time. 

If the past few years had taught her anything, it was that bottling up the truth and denying it would only cause more destruction. 

_Maybe she would take Cheryl's advice..._

"Betty?"

The blonde blinked out of her headspace and saw her girlfriend's eyes boring into her own, full of worry and beautifully unaware. 

She had second thoughts. 

Taking in a deep breath, Betty sat up and evaded Veronica's imploring gaze as her head dropped to study the sheets guiltily instead. She licked her lips and sighed, mentally pleading for the brunette to forgive her. 

"He um, died three years ago. I-It was a motorcycle accident..." 

Veronica stilled.

She knew Betty's father wasn't around, and no one ever brought it up, but she never imagined...

"Oh Betty, I...I'm so sorry." 

Her voice cracked to coincide with the way her heart wrenched and she felt the ever present need to reach out to her love battling to crush her, a familiar burning behind her eyes. 

Betty looked up and sent her small smile, maybe meant to be assuring.

But Veronica thought she could see the emptiness behind it...and possibly a little guilt? 

"It's fine, really, it was three years ago and more than enough time for me to recover." The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, it was the beginning of how Jug and I really got to know each other."

The brunette's face only fell further at the words. 

_And now she didn't have either of them..._

"Still." 

Veronica didn't hesitant anymore before throwing herself at the girl in the accidental straddle of her lap, arms tightly wound around the blonde's neck comfortingly, she sniffled. 

The blonde pulled her close, arms circling her middle. 

"I'm really sorry." She murmured in a watery whisper. 

Betty pulled back to look up into her girlfriend's glassy gaze, sighing of remorse.

"Hey, I told you it's fine. Don't cry." The blonde wiped softly under the brunette's doubtful eyes with her thumb, smiling upliftingly. 

"Please." 

She quickly pecked at Veronica's lips, copying the girl's earlier actions by moving away before she could fully lean into it. 

"Please." 

Another peck. 

"Please don't?" 

She pecked. 

And pecked.

And then pecked. 

And then pecked again until the brunette finally released a giggle. 

"Okay, okay." 

Veronica laughed, growing tired of the blonde not letting them kiss properly. She looked down at the proudly grinning girl she loved, caring and comforting _her_. She shook her head lovingly, yanking Betty closer by her shoulders so their lips were a mere centimeters apart and stayed there. 

"Just kiss me right, Cooper." 

Betty's smile stretched. "Gladly." She pressed her lips once more against the brunette's. 

Their kiss was soft and slow. It was passionate, unlike before, filled with love and not just lust. 

Veronica gasped as lips trailed back down her neck, laying down gentle kisses and hands moved from around her middle down to her legs. 

There was something about her girlfriend's eyes still. 

_But just maybe Betty was being honest...and three years was a long time...she was probably just worrying over nothing..._

The girls began grinding slowly. 

"Veronica?" Betty unattached her lips from the brunette's neck to lean up and whisper in her ear.

It sent shivers wracking down Veronica's spine, her eyes closed in pleasure as the blonde's teeth grazed her and the hands splayed in her lap slowly slid up to her inner thighs.

"Hmmm?" 

She was a mere puddle in the blonde's arms, practically holding them both up. 

"Gotta go, babe."

Before Veronica's brain could even make sense of the three little words, she was sat against the mattress and the warmth of her girlfriend was no longer underneath her. 

She blinked.

Betty had ducked underneath her bed and the blonde began throwing on her jacket before making her move across her room. Towards the window.

"Bettyyy..." 

The brunette whined and pouted childishly. Had the thought of being suddenly left high and _far_ from dry not seemed so pressing in the moment, she would have thought to question the blonde's awful quickness. 

"Love you." 

Betty called playfully behind her as she hastily exited out through the window, she knew she had to before Veronica persuaded her back as she oh so easily could and had in the past— then the guilt might actually eat her alive. 

Oblivious to her girlfriend's inner thoughts Veronica grumbled, throwing a pillow at the blonde's back and missing terribly. 

"I love you too, _jerk_." 

She could hear Betty chuckle and then a thump as the blonde safely dropped the few feet from her window. 

_Window..._

She thought abruptly. 

"Wait!" 

The brunette leapt off her bed and raced to the window, casually leaning against the sill as her girlfriend stopped mid-step away. 

"Oh, Romeo?" She sung and smirked. 

Betty spun around, hands behind her back and a loving smirk on her own lips, no amount of guilt could make her resist. 

"Juliet?" She returned, eyebrows rose playfully in question. 

"My dad knows you're here, you can't leave through the window, how on earth am I going to explain why my _friend_ chose to jump out of my bedroom window instead of our front door like a normal person?" 

Betty hummed and pretended to think as she backed away, walking backwards. 

"I don't know, babe..." She shrugged and her smirk broadened. "Hey, why don't you try being persuasive? You're good at that." 

With that, the blonde quickly turned on her heel and made way for her motorbike parked out of sight across the street. 

"Betty!" Veronica shouted, rolling her eyes in amusement before shaking her head. "Jerk." She repeated in a whisper, even if she couldn't resist the touch of affection that hit her at the very same time. 

Betty's bike had ridden off within minutes, probably stirring up the whole neighborhood with the roaring of its engine. Not many non-Serpents owned motorbikes.

As usual, the brunette silently willed her girlfriend to be safe in the slowly darkening night with the Black Hood and god knows what else lurking in Riverdale. 

She felt a sense of deja vu. 

Veronica stared into the night, losing herself in her thoughts as the smile on her face fell a fraction.

She still couldn't help but to feel like there were things Betty wasn't telling her. 

_But Betty couldn't be lying to her. Why would she? And what would she be hiding anyway?_

Yet no matter how much she tried to deny it, the nagging at the back of her mind just wouldn't stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Long chapter coming up next! Multiple altercations ensue!*


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, Cooper! Going to see your little Northside girlfriend?" 
> 
> "We just wanna talk." 
> 
> "So it's settled, we all go with Archie's plan. Together."
> 
> "You don't scare me, sweetheart."
> 
> "Don't you dare lie to me, Betty. Explain. Right now." 
> 
> "They hurt you." 
> 
> "I feel like someone's watching."
> 
> "Veronica! Shit!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://data.whicdn.com/images/302149777/original.gif 
> 
> May or may not be some dancing later ???

"Hmm...baby..." 

Veronica whimpered as her girlfriend sucked on her tongue, lips softly moved against her's, working eagerly from her mouth to her neck and downwards— splaying kisses and love bites all over the very top of her barely exposed chest. 

Betty grinned against the skin. 

The brunette could feel it and rolled her eyes knowingly, even as she panted helplessly in the blonde's clutches. She knew her girlfriend well. 

Both were fully clothed as Veronica was pressed fully against Betty's mattress with the blonde on top of her, hands exploring in indecent places. 

Veronica had only been to her girlfriend's trailer a hand full of times in the months they had been together, the number one reason being that it was a space she shared with her mother who wasn't too keen on her company, not that it mattered as the surly woman was rarely there as it was. Absent parenting at its finest. 

Briefly, the brunette wondered bitterly where the woman could possibly be at seven in the morning on a Monday if not at work.

Betty bit into the brunette's neck, grinding downwards as she could sense her girlfriend getting caught in her thoughts. 

Veronica groaned as the blonde hit a particular sensitive spot that momentarily made her knees weak and her eyes roll to the back of her head for an entirely different reason. 

Not that she could talk. 

"Betty...I-I have to go, I have school." She sighed out breathlessly, hands cupped to the back of the blonde's warm neck as Betty continued to have her way with her, ignoring the words. 

"Or you can stay here with me." The blonde pleaded, half teasing and half needingly into the brunette's neck. 

Veronica couldn't remember why she thought it was even a good idea in the first place to convince Cheryl to give her a ride to the Southside that morning when the redhead mentioned she was going to see Toni before school— her mother had even sent her off with the breakfast they had that morning for Betty, a basket of mini blueberry muffins which had been abandoned on the blonde's counter from the moment the brunette had arrived. 

She honestly hadn't come over to make out. 

Honestly. 

The brunette summoned literally all of her self-control to gently push the blonde up to meet her blue eyes but kept her arms wrapped lovingly around the girl's neck and gave her a pointed look. 

"If I do, I'll fail." 

Betty remained hovering, frowning at the sudden distance between them and pressed. 

"Yes, _but_ if you stay here with me, I'll make you forget all about it?" She waggled her eyebrows, idly tracing a lone finger along the brunette's neck and further and further down. "I can make you forget about a lot of things. Failing...teachers...grades...your name..." 

Veronica smirked despite herself and caught the teasing finger on its way through the valley of her chest. "Well, daddy was right about one thing." She leaned upward, a hairsbreath away from the blonde's lips. 

"And what's that?" Betty returned the smirk, eyes complete and totally enticed between her girlfriend's mouth and her dark sultry gaze in close proximity to her own. 

School could wait. 

Veroncia's smirk stretched as she purred. 

"You. Are. A. _Terrible_. Influence." 

The brunette giggled and rolled them over as she crashed her lips into her lover's, her actions eliciting a slight surprised gasp from the blonde now under her who grinned happily and returned the kiss just as passionately— although both girl's giggling incessantly strongly undercut their goal.   
  
"Huh, I would have thought Betty was the top." 

A third voice abruptly boomed throughout the room. 

Veronica instinctively jumped further into her girlfriend's arms and Betty instinctively held her closer, gaze shooting over her girlfriend's shoulder to the doorway of her room as the brunette did the same.

Both girl's released a sigh. 

Sweet Pea casually leaned up against the frame smirking, a familiar half eaten blueberry muffin up to his lips. 

"Am I interrupting something?" His eyebrows wiggled at them, untamed superman-esque curl falling into them. 

Betty glared, sorely regretting sneaking the boy a key to crash when he got into frequent fights with his dad while Veronica rolled her eyes. 

"Yes." "No." 

They answered at the same time, still straddling the blonde, Veronica playfully narrowed her eyes downward at her girlfriend's response.

Betty gave an innocent look, but before another word could spoken between them, a fourth voice sounded in the doorway. 

"Great, breakfast _and_ a free show." 

Cheryl droned as she stood next to Sweet Pea, also smirking, an identical blueberry muffin at her ruby red fingertips. 

Betty cursed leaving the delicious treats on the counter, which apparently made them a free for all for all her friends to enjoy. 

The blonde scoffed, peering up at the intruders, not at all perturbed at the position she was in. 

"Great, superman and a redheaded she-devil, are the munchkins from the land of oz here too?" She questioned sarcastically. 

Veronica snickered, while sliding off Betty's lap— much to the blonde's disappointment, then delight as she sat up and the brunette immediately sidled into her side, the couple leaning up against her old beaten headboard. 

Sweet Pea snorted, amusement playing in his eyes. "You mean Toni and Fangs?" 

They laugh. 

Except Cheryl, who hit the back of the boy's head and glared as he protested. 

"You're not allowed to talk about my TT while she's not around to defend herself." The redhead hit him again. "That one was for Kevin." She offered at his second yelp before walking off. 

"Okay, can we talk about the abuse!?" Sweet Pea's arms went up as he shouted after the disappearing redhead. 

Betty and Veronica share matching amused looks. 

"Blossom, I swear to god if you were a dude..." The tall boy turned back around and grumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his head while biting into his muffin begrudgingly, seemingly forgetting they were even there. 

Betty rolled her eyes. "Hey, what the hell are you doing here, dude?" She raised her voice to get the boy's attention. 

"Oh." Sweet Pea snapped out of it, singly addressing the blonde. "We just got a job and since red's going to school, like a _nerd_." 

"Better a nerd now than a lifelong future in fast food." Cheryl's voice rung back from somewhere in the trailer. 

Sweet Pea ignores it and shrugs. "FP says he needs you instead." 

A job. 

Veronica had gotten used to the term, just as much as she had gotten used to it bringing dread to her bones— as if they didn't have the Black Hood to worry about— it went unspoken and she had only just stored the other nights doubts away in back of her mind as it was, but it was far from a secret. 

Betty's warm arms wrap back around her, pulling her close as the blonde groaned, filling her with love and assurance. 

" _Now?_ Seriously? How is that we're always interrupted?" 

Sweet Pea burst into laughter, holding his stomach. "Mostly because it's pretty fucking funny." He confessed to them between hysterics. 

Veronica annoyedly threw Betty's pillow at him which struck and bounced harmlessly off the boy's rumbling chest and to the floor with a soft thud. 

"Ha-ha." Betty glowered, matching her girlfriend's annoyance. "Do I show up to your trailer and interrupt you and your...oh wait." She ended with a smirk. 

Veronica giggled.

The couple shared a high five in victory, their turn to laugh as Sweet Pea's laughter stopped abruptly. 

He glared silently at them, flipping the blonde his middle finger.

"Just for that I'm eating the rest of the muffins on your counter. I'll meet you outside." 

Indignantly, Sweet Pea spun on his heel before walking out. 

Betty scoffed, certain he was planning on it anyway.

The blonde turned to her girlfriend, taking her hands in her's. "I'll be fine." She assured knowingly as she brought the brunette's hand up to press a kiss against and rose an eyebrow hopefully. "And there to pick you up after school later?" 

Veronica nods tentatively, looking deep in those blue eyes and trying to believe the blonde as she squeezed their joint hands. 

"You better be." She leaned in and pecked gently at the Serpent girl's lips and pulled away. 

Betty smiled. 

The brunette smiled widely back.

"My god, you're only leaving each other's sides for a few hours, not eternity. Let's go, Lodge." 

Cheryl reappeared in the doorway, arms crossed impatiently. 

The couple rolled their eyes simultaneously. 

Reluctantly, Veronica stood and gathered her things, one hand still in Betty's lingering until they no longer could. 

"Bye." She whispered softly, looking down fondly at the seated blonde. 

"Bye." 

Betty replied upward, just as soft and watched lovingly until her girlfriend made her way over to the door and receded completely from her sights. It was only then did the blonde sigh to herself, bringing her knees up to her chest and arms rested around them. She was so far gone... her lips upturned. 

Veronica practically dragged her heels as she passed Cheryl in the frame, the redhead snorted and followed behind her.

"Flashing your high beams there, Rachel Green." 

Veronica's cheeks flushed in realization, modestly crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's...cold." The brunette lied feebly and in vain. 

"Oh, I bet it's nippy." 

"Cheryl!" She batted her best friend's arm, the girls giggling as they made their way out to the redhead's convertible.

...

Loud.

Wild.

Boisterous sounds of arbitrary conversations, laughter, and music filled the Whyte Wyrm that particular Monday afternoon as the Serpents celebrated yet another job well done. 

And they all seemed to be running on the same high. 

"Man, Pea I can't believe you knocked him out with his own bike helmet!" 

Fangs practically shouted as he grasped the other boy by his shoulder and practically shook him with the uninjured in his exhilarated disbelief.

Betty chuckled over the straw planted in her glass of root beer as Sweet Pea jumped and turned on his stool, equally as hyped as the shorter Serpent sat in the middle of them. 

"Dude, the guy just wouldn't go down! What the hell else was I supposed to do? FP said to take him out." He snickered with an all too proud grin. 

The three had strayed away from the rest of the gang gallivanting around the place in favor of sitting at the bar. 

"Okay, first off he said to make him talk. Not play whack-a-mole with his head." 

The blonde scoffed, easily peering over the boy next to her to the other. 

Fangs cackled.

Sweet Pea shrugged nonchalantly at her, setting his empty glass of root beer aside with the large grin still firmly glued to his face. 

"Hey, potato tomato, he stopped trying to run didn't he?" 

"Because he was unconscious for like _twenty minute_ s." She protested with an amused incredulous huff. 

Fangs cackled louder while Sweet Pea whined. 

"Betts, will you just give me this? Just once? Come on, I left you a muffin this morning." He pleaded, a deep frown on his face. 

Betty relented.

She had to admit it was hilarious to see the prick go down like a log after all the shit they went through to catch him. 

The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed. 

"Alright, whatever. I'll admit, it was pretty sick." She smiled and applauded good-naturedly after she reached over and shoved the tall boy playfully. 

Her applause was soon joined by a shouting Fangs. 

"Someone get this man another, root beer!" 

There were more whoops and whistles from the rest of the gang, high-spirited at their takedown. 

"Thank you, thank you." Sweet Pea took his satisfied head bow as another root beer slid down the bar to him. "And just wait until I tell Cheryl and Toni, reds going to go _green_ with jealousy." He sat back, happily sipping at his new drink. 

Betty snorted, doing the same. 

"Yeah, Topaz is going to lose her shit knowing she opted out of going on this job."

Fangs hummed in agreement. 

"But Cheryl's never going to believe us." He pointed out at them. 

"So?" Sweet Pea waved his hand in the air lazily. "I can handle red being a disbeliever to see the look on Tiny's face when she realizes she missed a once in a life time opportunity to laugh her ass off at that guy and, of course, witness my pure amazing talent. You guys remember the last time?" 

The three think back and immediately begin dying of laughter. 

Toni's facial expressions were truly magnificent when she was upset, almost as hysterical as when she was extremely confused. 

"Sweet Pea, Sweet Pea, please I'll give you fifty bucks if you let me tell her." Fangs practically pleaded as he laughed. 

Betty thought it was good to see the boy happy and smiling again so soon after the month he'd had, between being shot and losing a friend, no doubt it had everything to do with a certain Sheriff's son. 

Sweet Pea scoffed. 

"In your dreams, Fogarty. Not worth a single dime in the world, this one's mine."

The boys began playfully arguing as Betty shook her head with a small smile, involuntarily getting lost in her thoughts.

_Veronica..._

Her girlfriend showing up at her door that morning was a nice surprise, a _very_ nice surprise. The guilt she felt from the other night of not being completely honest with the girl remained unchanged and ceaselessly squeezing at her chest, but the brunette's kisses, her mere presence, almost entirely pacified the feeling...for a moment or two at least. 

And those moments were _incredible_.

"Oh my god, are you fucking glowing over there?" Sweet Pea's loud disbelieving voice snapped her out of her daydreaming state. 

The blonde failed to notice the boys had stopped arguing, Fangs bumping into the the older boy's shoulder with his sling so he'd notice her too. They were smirking. 

"No I'm not, shut up." Betty growled as the boys guffawed whole heartedly. "Assholes..." She muttered, drinking as they laughed. 

"Are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about?" Sweet Pea teased, eyebrows wiggling as a repeat of earlier's incident, an incident he hadn't stopped teasing her about all day. 

"No, you pervert." The blonde agitatedly picked an abandoned straw wrapper from the bar and threw it at the boy. "And don't think about my girlfriend like that."

Sweet Pea groaned and huffed are her. "Ugh, you didn't care if I talked about girls like that before. You're so lame now, Cooper." He threw the wrapper back, but missed as the paper fell uselessly to the floor. 

She continued glowering silently. 

"Ah, don't listen to him, Betts." Fangs threw his one arm over her shoulder and leaned into her. "Pea's just jealous because he isn't in a stable happy relationship, isn't that right Pea?" He turned to said boy pointedly. 

"I don't do relationships." Sweet Pea scoffed, adjusting the collar of his leather jacket as Betty snorted. 

"Clearly."

Fangs chuckled, shaking his head at the bantering. 

"Ha-ha." Sweet Pea spat dryly and glared playfully. 

Betty smiled smugly at him, satisfied before pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket, looking at the time she sucked in a breath. "Well, gotta go, boys. It's been fun." She sighed, finishing off her drink before lifting Fangs' arm off her and standing. 

"Oh, is the Mrs. pulling on the leash so soon?" Sweet Pea taunts, spinning his stool around to look up at her with pure enjoyment in his eyes. 

Fortunately, before she could respond and absolutely wipe the smug look off his face, Fangs butts in. 

"Well, look who's here." 

The boy had peered over his shoulder before also spinning on his barstool. 

Betty and Sweet Pea followed his directed gaze. It was surprisingly easy to spot the small statured pink-haired girl greeting some of the many Serpents surrounding her by the entrance. Toni had yet to notice them on the other hand. 

Sweet Pea was rubbing his hands together in excitement. 

"Somebody take their phone out and get a picture when I tell her." He commanded instantly. 

Betty mentally rubbed her own hands together as a vengeful idea popped in her head. 

"Not if I tell her first." She smirked over at the boys. 

Sweet Pea's eyes widened, pointing a finger at her in warning. "Betts..."

Betty was already striding towards Toni, the tall boy yelping behind her and Fangs no doubt trying to calm him down. 

"Betty! Betty! Don't you..."

The blonde easily drowned out the boy's swears as she stopped in front of Toni, the shorter girl's eyebrows rose in both amusement and skepticism. 

"Toni." She greeted, too cheerily nodding.

Toni looked at her clearly entertained, and nodded back. "Ponytail..." She greeted slowly, before peering over her shoulder and laughing. "How'd you piss him off this time? Pea looks like he's going to smash the bar." 

"You'll find out." Betty chuckled, leaning her head forward as if she were conspiring with the pink-haired Serpent, but only patted the bewildered girl on her shoulder in passing. "See you later, Topaz." 

The blonde took one glance back at the boys, sending them a mocking two finger salute before stepping out into the daylight of the parking lot. 

Veronica's school ended in ten minutes. 

And maybe it had been a few short hours—but she couldn't wait to see her girl again. Sue her. 

Betty twirled her keys between her fingers contently, kicking up dirt as she made her way to the backside of the bar where she had to park her bike due to the sheer amount of vehicles parked in front of the establishment. 

Suddenly, heavy footsteps sounded behind her and an angry voice sounded. 

"Hey, Cooper! Going to see your little Northside girlfriend?" 

The blonde's smile dropped as she stopped abruptly, dirt settling at her feet. 

She internally groaned.

Betty wasn't stupid nor deaf, she heard the talk and whispers that had been going around the Southside since a few others had found about her and Veronica— as minimalistic as they were, it still did nothing short of pissing her off. 

The blonde breathed through her nose, turning slowly and steeling herself. 

Two obvious teenage boys stood a few feet away, they looked younger than her and were definitely Southsiders— not smart ones if they thought picking a fight with a Serpent outside of Serpent territory was a bright idea. 

"What's it to you, guys?" She gave a mock smile, but her eyes shot daggers at them. 

The boys had muscle, taller than her even, but Betty could immediately tell the two were unskilled by the way they carried themselves as they slowly approached her in their failed attempt to intimidate her. 

The one with the dirty blonde hair scowled. 

"Don't you know Hiram Lodge is trying to destroy the Southside?" He spat. 

" _Our_ home." The other nameless raven haired boy fumed beside him. 

"And you're fucking his daughter." The blonde boy continued, fists clenching at his sides. 

The two stopped walking only a few inches from her, glaring vengefully. 

Everyone was inside. The blonde was a Serpent cornered. 

But years of gang experience had taught her a lot. 

Betty didn't back down, not breaking their angry gazes with her steely one. The blonde's insides were seething as she took in another deep breath through her flaring nostrils and leaned forward. 

"That's none of your business." She spoke calmly, tucking her dangling keys into her jacket, instinctively reaching up to tighten her ponytail, the blonde rose her eyebrows daringly. "Now, I repeat. What's it to you guys?" 

The boys glanced at one another, then looked back at her smirking smugly. 

"We just wanna talk." 

The raven haired boy barely let out the words before advancing on her. 

He threw a fist, which Betty caught with ease and struck a hard knee into his groin. 

The boy groaned weakly bent over at the waist, while his blonde friend growled and swung at her. Betty dodged the hit and struck a fist out of her own, connecting with the boy's jaw. Not going down as easily his friend, the blonde came at her again, aiming for her face again which she blocked but wasn't quick enough to block the boy's second fist. His knuckles connected harshly with the side of her side, disorientating her long enough for the bowed raven haired boy to land another hard hit to her side. 

Her anger fueled her, and Betty bared both the stinging pain in her head and stomach while growling lowly. The blonde drove an elbow into the half standing raven haired boy's jaw, grabbing his shirt and kicking his feet out from under him, easily sending him to the ground with a whimper— then wasted no time in delivering another downward kick down to the blonde boy's kneecap, hearing a triumphant crack and a cry as he dropped too. Her fist connected with the blonde's jaw again on the way down as he landed in the dirt with a thud. 

The fight was truly over before it began.

Betty stood over them, breathing uneven and shook her head when neither injured boy made another move to get up— cowering into themselves and licking their wounds. 

She leaned down and both boys flinched as she looked them directly in the eyes, glowering. 

"Try this, or _ever_ mention my girlfriend again, and I'll have my gang string you up by your tiny little dicks, m'kay?"

The dirty blonde boy and raven haired boy nodded quickly, a puny mess of what they were mere moments ago.

Betty rolled her eyes. 

"Good talk." She patted the blonde boy's dislocated kneecap and ignores his yelp as she stood straight and smirked. "Have a fantastic rest of your day, boys."

Just like that, the blonde walked off in true fashion she thought even Cheryl would be impressed by. 

Her adrenaline lowering with every step she took, it was only as she hopped onto her motorbike that Betty winced at the shooting pain in the places she had been hit. 

The blonde growled down at the new hole in her jeans then gingerly lifted her black t-shirt, stopped just under her chest and cursed. Her usually pale left side was an unnatural tomato red color and she could tell it was going to soon leave a big purple bruise in its wake. 

Then Betty caught her reflection in her side mirrors, let her shirt drop and winced again as she lightly traced her fingers across the new red patch of skin on the side of her head. 

Groaning, she took the band from her ponytail and let her hair fall over the mark. 

_Veronica_

The blonde quickly snatched her cell phone out of her jacket and glanced at the time before shoving her keys into the ignition. 

"Dammit." 

...

Veronica worried her lower lip, sat cross-legged on the schools outside steps as she peered around the slowly emptying parking lot of students. 

Betty was late.

Betty was almost never late to see her. 

What if something happened?

_No, Betty said she would be here_

If something happened Betty would have texted her. The gang would have texted her. 

The brunette looked down at her phone for the millionth time, but she hadn't received any notifications. 

_Maybe I should text-_

"Betty's fine." 

A larger hand took the device from her own before her fingers could start to move. 

"Stop worrying."

Veronica looked over the boy sat beside her and giving her a knowing look, she had to admit having Kevin next to her rambling her ear off with gossip was a comforting norm whilst waiting for her girlfriend who was twenty minutes late— not that she had been listening to any of it. 

Nevertheless, the brunette sighed and nodded. 

"You're right." 

"Naturally." Kevin rose his chin and preened, while handing her phone back. 

Veronica smirked, a sudden desire to change the subject washing over in hopes of getting her mind off of the many possibilities her love could be late.

" _So_ , how's the love life?" She cocks a teasing eyebrow. 

Kevin rose his own eyebrow without hesitation. 

"Girl, you tell me. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages, but of course you've been spending so much time all _booed up_ with a certain blonde Serpent, I hardly believe anyone has these days."

Veronica scoffed. 

Kevin was far from the only one who had noticed it, but the looks she got from her fellow peers were a lot easier to ignore than the looks she got from her friends— or her mother for that matter. 

"My mom thinks Betty and I are in the 'honeymoon' stage of our relationship." She air quoted, rolling her eyes. 

Kevin's head tilted sideways at her, a sly look in his eye. "And how is that worse than her thinking you're in a three-way relationship with Archie? Your _ex_." 

The brunette groaned, hands covering her eyes. "Don't remind me." She lifted her head and sent him a look. "And we never officially dated, why is it that everyone forgets that?" 

"I bet Archie doesn't." 

Veronica huffed. "Kevin, don't." 

"Oh come on, you honestly think he's over you?" 

She gave him a warning stare without response. 

Kevin rose his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine." He yielded and leaned back. "But if you must know about _my_ love life, Fangs and I still going as steady as a pair of queer rocks. Fangs is doing extraordinarily well for being shot and losing Midge..." 

Veronica saw the boy's face fall a little and pursed her lips, placing a comforting hand on shoulder squeezing. 

"The important thing is that he's doing better." She reminded him softly. 

"Right." Kevin nodded, features lighting back up to his usual overactive self. "Better and _finer_ than ever." He sighed dramatically.

Veronica laughed and he joined her, she slapped at the boy's arm. 

"Will you two be at the Whyte Wyrm later?" 

Kevin clicked his tongue wickedly. "Actually, Fangs and I have...plans." 

"Uh huh." She smirked. 

"And speaking of plans..." 

Fingers carefully brushed along the sleeve of the hoodie the brunette wore and she stiffened. 

Kevin eyed her, squinting suspiciously. 

"Excuse me, but Veronica Lodge in a hoodie? Not that you aren't effortlessly pulling it off, but what you _aren't_ effortlessly pulling off is being discrete." 

Veronica slowly pulled the collar of the hoodie up to her neck, savoring its familiar vanilla scent. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." The brunette expressed indignantly. 

Kevin scoffed. "Little large, isn't it?" He pulled on her sleeve again. 

"It's Betty's." She confessed quietly, cheeks already slightly tinting.

"Are these also Betty's?" 

Th boy dragged her collar back down quickly without warning, revealing her neck. 

Her very much _bruised_ neck. 

"Kevin!" 

Kevin gasped, pointing a finger at her accusingly as he grinned. "I knew it!" 

The brunette groaned, shushing the boy as she clamped a hand over his mouth and glanced around at the few students still lingering around the lot. 

It was a miracle in itself that she found her girlfriend's hoodie strewn in her locker after Cheryl conveniently decided to let her know of the bruises existence as soon as they pulled up to the school that morning. 

The moment Veronica let her hand fall from Kevin's mouth, unsurprisingly, the boy immediately condemned her. 

" _Hickeys_." He hissed as if cursing her, voice considerably less quiet but with no less excitement dancing in his eyes as he leaned in to get a closer look. 

"No, they're not hickeys." She lied terribly, while dragging the hood back up to cover her neck. 

Kevin's expression said everything. 

"Please, and I'm not unhealthily obsessed over every Hemsworth brother ever." 

Veronica sighed, reluctantly relinquishing. 

"If anyone asks, they're mosquito bites." She warned him lowly. 

The brunette didn't have time to indulge in what she was sure to be her friend's teasing as the unmistakable sound of a roaring motorbike resounded through the parking lot. 

Veronica instantly glanced away and felt a grin growing. 

A black motorcycle swerved expertly into the school zone, dredging up asphalt and leaving debris in its wake before coming to a halt a little ways away. 

There were immediately sounds of not so quiet murmurs all around her, telltale signs of a Serpent on Northside territory. 

Veronica ignored them all in favor of nearly gulping down her heart in sight of the bike's owner tearing off her helmet, shaking out long waves of blonde hair like a slow motion picture. 

The owner of the motorbike wasn't just any Serpent. It was _her_ Serpent. 

_Betty_

Relief washed over.

But it wasn't the only sensation. 

Beside her, Kevin hummed head tilting as he also appraised the blonde hopping off her bike and leaning against its side in wait. 

"I get it now."

Rolling her eyes, Veronica quickly took the boy by the hand and stood, crossing the parking lot to get to her girlfriend in no time. 

Betty smiled, albeit nervously, matching the brunette's expression as she watched her walk to her and opened up arms that were still firmly tucked into her jacket pockets. 

Veronica let Kevin loose and didn't hesitate in walking straight into the embrace, Betty's arms and jacket encased her while she leaned heavily into the blonde, one arm around the blonde's back and the other pressed against her hard stomach. 

Betty stiffened and fought off a pained groan. 

"Hey." 

Veronica breathed into the blonde's ear and remained oblivious as she slowly pulled out of the embrace, although standing mere inches away from her girlfriend, still hyper aware that they were in public. 

For once, Betty was grateful at the girl in front of her for putting distance between them— then her smile stretched as she did a thorough once over of the cute brunette in her oversized hoodie, and realized it didn't make the consistent urge to kiss her any less unbearable. 

"Hey." She cleared her throat and hoped the aching in her side didn't show in her voice. "How was your day?"

Veronica's own smile stretched as her fingers trailed casually up her arm. "Boring without you." 

It was then that Betty glanced over the brunette's shoulder. 

Kevin instantly smirked at her. "Hi mosquito." He waved, looking all too pleased with himself. 

Betty's expression morphed into one of bewildered amusement and watched from the corner of her eyes as her girlfriend sighed and placed a palm over her eyes. The blonde just shook her head, having gotten used to the boy's weird phrases over the months she'd known him. 

"Hello again, Kevin." She smirked back. "How are you?"

Kevin shrugged coyly. "Oh, I'm doing fine. _Clearly_ not as good as you." 

Betty's eyebrows rose as the boy stared her down and then _...was he eyeing her neck?_

"Bye Kevin." Veronica turned to him abruptly, eyes relaying a message the blonde couldn't read but obviously the boy could. 

Kevin hummed, glancing between them. "Uh huh, we'll talk." He vowed, before taking his leave and promptly striding off. 

Betty chuckled. The kid was weird, but she had instantly taking a liking to him, unlike Archie.

Veronica shook her head and turned back to her. 

"You wore your hair down today." 

The brunette pleasantly twirled a strand of blonde hair between her fingers, the rest of the waves flowing impressively passed the Serpent's shoulders, even longer than her own shoulder length hair. 

Betty shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Just thought I'd switch it up." She lied and swallowed her guilt. 

Veronica raked the blonde over fervently. "Well, you look absolutely ravishing, babe." She bit her lip teasingly, still twirling the hair between her fingertips. 

Betty scoffed, ignoring her bashfulness for reaching up and taking the soft hand from her hair before it revealed the bruise on her head. Instead, the blonde leaned back and held both the brunette's hands in her own, swinging them a bit between them. 

Suddenly, Veronica' face fell as she remembered. "Why were you so late?" Her dark eyebrows furrowed up at the blonde. 

And Betty swallowed again, admitting quietly. 

"I was with Pea and Fangs at the bar and lost track of time." 

Blue eyes flickered from brown irises to the ground and back up again, anxiously and craving for her girlfriend to believe her. 

"Sorry." 

Interpreting the gaze as guilt, Veronica placed her hand on Betty's cheek and used her other to squeeze the blonde's hand in her own while her features soften. "Hey, you're forgiven baby. I was just worried, I thought something happened."

Betty dropped her gaze again, then tugged at the bottom of the brunette's attire. 

"What is this hoodie number twelve you've stolen from my closet?" She purposefully changed the subject entirely, once again appraising the shorter girl and the way her hoodie fit her so... _nicely_.

"Well, you shouldn't own so many." Veronica spoke and tilted the blonde's chin up, giggling at the blonde's drooling. "Or have done _this_." She pulled her other hand out of the taller girl's to pull down the collar, shooting her an accusatory look. 

Betty's mouth made a small 'o' shape as she saw viewed the bruised skin, the blonde being sure her and her girlfriend could compete for who had the most bruises at that moment. 

But certainly not who enjoyed receiving them the most. 

A small smile pulled at her lips, not feeling the least bit guilty. 

"You loved it, though." She teased deviously shrugging. 

Veronica's eyes narrowed and Betty avoided a playful hit from the brunette just in time for it to hit her right side instead of her left. 

Unfortunately, the blonde's internal sigh of relief was cut short by another. 

"Damn baby girl, do you have a twin sister?" 

Betty stiffens, expression instantly darkening following those words over her girlfriend's shoulder.

Veronica rolls her eyes, arms crossing even before spinning on her heel. 

A tall shaved haired boy she didn't recognize had stopped in his tracks directly in front of the girls, eyeing the brunette vulgarly and completely passing over the blonde in her space. 

"Keep walking." She stated flatly, feeling long fingers skimming and tightening to her waist from behind. 

Betty silently gave the boy a piercing glare, as threatening as she could muster— the blonde knew she was going to be beyond pissed off if she had to take down another irritating guy that day that just couldn't keep her girlfriend's person _out of their mouths_ , one way or another. 

Sensing the blonde's anger, Veronica leaned even closer into her space and the fingers pressed into her— though not quite leaning against Betty's bruised abdomen unbeknownst to her— just enough to alert her to calm down. 

Seeing her love getting hurt in a fight was the last thing she wanted.

It was only then that the shaved haired boy seemed to glance up and notice the leather jacket wearing girl beside the brunette he was hitting on, the embroidered snake on the material, or the tattoo peeking out from her left sleeve, perhaps the motorbike behind her, but certainly the dangerous glint in her darkened blue irises — his brain putting the pieces together was almost visible. 

Mutely, the boy scurried away with his head down. 

Betty huffed at his retreating figure. "Do guys hit on you like that all the time here?" She twisted the girl in her hold around to face her again once she was sure the cowardly dickwad was out of sight. 

Veronica lovingly tapped the adorably frowning blonde's cheek in response, outwardly relieved the nameless boy had all but run away from them, clearly one of the many Northsiders afraid to face a Serpent. 

"Technically he hit on my imaginary twin sister." She smirked at her point. 

Although, Betty wasn't as amused.

The blonde's eyebrows shot upward. 

"Great, in that case, can I go _technically_ wrap my hands around his neck?" She made a fake move to step pass the brunette, but was stopped by a gentle hand to her chest. 

"Betty..." Veronica warned pushing the blonde back into leaning against her bike. "I'm yours." She assured, features lighting up in half amusement half seriousness. "Haven't you had enough fighting for one day?" 

"What?" 

Betty startled at the question, eyes widening ever so slightly as her anger quickly faded away into nerves. 

Did she know? How could she know? 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed at the look. 

"Because of this morning...with Sweet Pea and Cheryl seeing us in bed together." She explained slowly. 

"Oh." The blonde blinked owlishly, immediately relaxing. 

It was in that moment Betty realized that she and her girlfriend had two very different definitions of what a fight was. 

Veronica snorted, fingers pinching the blonde's cheek. 

"You're adorable when you're angry by the way." 

The brunette took pleasure in the way her girlfriend's blue eyes that had previously taken on a darker tint lightened up as she stared down at her and rolled them in mock annoyance. 

"For the last time V, I am in a gang, I am not adorable." 

"All I'm hearing is adorableness." She cupped a hand to her ear. 

Betty sulked. "I hate you." 

Veronica's smile spread knowingly. "No, you don't." 

The blonde's gaze softened, squeezing the waist in her hands. 

"No, I don't." She whispered fondly, tipping her head into the brunette's as the girl beamed before heaving a teasing sigh. "...doesn't mean you aren't still a pain in the ass though- _ah_."

The blonde flinched, tendering holding a hand to her side. 

That time Veronica really did hit her left side— and really, Betty thought, maybe she should stop making jokes. 

Veronica scoffed at her girlfriend's dramatic show and giggled lightly. 

"Oh come on." 

The brunette strolled pass the wincing blonde, climbing on the back of her motorbike with experienced ease. 

"We're supposed to meet Archie at the Whyte Wyrm with the others to talk about 'the thing'." She patted the leathered space in front of her. 

'The thing' being code word for their plan to find out who the Black Hood was. 

_Whyte Wrm?_ Betty thought about the dirty blonde haired and raven haired boys she left behind the bar. 

The blonde inwardly groaned, agonizingly straightening to her full height and slowly climbed onto the front of her bike with a low grunt. 

"What was that, babe?" Veronica's arms wrapped tightly around the girl in front of her, peeking over the taller girl's shoulder at her beautiful blue eyes. 

Betty fought off a pained expression for a confused one.

"I-I just left there, and the others? They know now?" She tore the helmet off her handle to twist around with both physical and mental exertion, depositing the protection on her girlfriend's head and ignoring her usual protests. 

Veronica huffed within the confines, but protectively squeezed her grip tighter around Betty as the machinery began its familiar rumbling underneath them. 

"Well, Cheryl found out by shaking down Archie in the hallway this morning and she told Toni who is probably telling Sweet Pea and Fangs right now. They all want in and apparently they aren't taking no for an answer." She comfortably burrowed her helmeted head into her blonde's stiff shoulder blade. 

Betty bit down another pained groan as her side screamed and instead shook her head at her friend's self-intervening. 

"Of course they do." She spoke through clenched teeth, kicking the kickstand a little too aggressively. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed at the reaction. 

Over the roaring engine, the brunette could have sworn Betty's voice even sounded pained. 

Unfortunately, before she could put her apprehension into words her girlfriend had already began speeding out of the parking lot. 

...

The Whyte Wyrm wasn't nearly as crowded in the evening. 

The moment they had stepped onto he property, Betty's eyes had scanned for the boys she had fought and was vastly relieved to find their faces missing amongst the usual bar patrons. 

Sans Fangs and Kevin— Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Archie had already been there discussing the groups plan. 

All six joined, squeezed, chairs up to a small table in the darkest corner of the bar to avoid being overheard. 

"So it's settled, we all go with Archie's plan. _Together_." Cheryl sent a meaningful look over the table at Betty and Veronica in particular. "For Jughead and Midge." 

Rolling her eyes, Betty nodded and Veronica with her, the brunette playing meekly with the blonde's fingers as her girlfriend's arm was lazily tossed over her shoulders to keep them close in the separate chairs they sat in. 

They should have known they wouldn't be able to keep their plan a secret for long anyways. 

Sat next to them, Archie shot the couple an apologetic look. 

Toni sighed, shifting in her own seat where her arm was linked with her next to her girlfriend and across from the three. "This is a bad idea, the cops are never gonna believe us. Us Serpents." She directed the emphasizes over at Archie, who sighed. 

Beside the shorter Serpent, Sweet Pea folded his arms over his broad chest and glowered at the redheaded boy. 

"I agree." He spoke gruffly. 

Archie shook his head, arguing. "But we don't need them to believe you, or even me. Not if we find irrefutable evidence."

Cheryl rose an eyebrow. "Like?"

Archie stalled, eyes shooting unsurely over to his only long time friend at the table. 

Veronica gave him an encouraging glance.

The redhead nodded then feverently looked between all four Serpents, plus Veronica, as he answered. 

"Like location of people who could potentially be the Black Hood when he last struck. Alibis, anything at the scene of his crimes that the sheriff might have missed, stuff like that." He shrugged. 

"Now we're NCIS." Betty muttered, fingers that weren't captured by her girlfriend occupying her Pepsi glass. 

Sweet Pea's eyes were quick to shoot over to her, tensing up. "You mean, Hawaii Five-O." 

Veronica rolled her eyes, looking passed a very confused Archie and exchanging a look with Cheryl and Toni. 

_Here we go again..._

The blonde huffed as she made a show of leaning over the table. 

"No Pea, I meant NCIS because it's an _extraordinarily_ better show."

The look on her lean friend's face was worth containing the wince that came with the pain in her left side having brushed up against Veronica's own side. 

Sweet Pea glared vehemently, deadly serious features set. "You take that back, Betts. You take it back, or you're gonna regret it." He pointed a finger at her, meeting her distance across the table. 

"Nope." Betty smirked, popping the 'p'. 

"Stop." 

Veronica snorted, pulling her blonde trouble-maker back down by the collar of her jacket while an annoyed Cheryl pushed Sweet Pea back onto his seat. 

"You two are _not_ having this argument again." The brunette determined. 

Their last argument had lasted two days and solved nothing. 

"Approved." Cheryl coincided dryly. 

Veronica smirked. 

"And anyways, everyone knows Law and Order is the best." 

Betty and Sweet Pea groaned, each shooting her individuality looks of betrayal. 

Toni chuckled. "Got that right, Lodge." 

"That show is pretty great." Archie agreed with a nod. 

" _Right!?_ " Veronica's pleased smirk stretched wider as turned to him, ignoring the pale arm that squeezed tighter around her playfully. 

"You have better taste then I thought, Andrews." Toni hit the boy's shoulder as he smiled and opened his mouth- cut off by Cheryl's groan. 

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"Will you people _please_ stay on track here? Hello, a wanted serial killer still gallivanting the streets of the town in which we all live in?" 

"Right." Veronica sobered, sighing. "Cheryl's right."

"Sorry, babe." 

Toni pressed a kiss to the redhead's lips, successfully placating the fiery girl while the rest shared amused looks. 

Cheryl pinned them all with a glare. 

"So." Betty cleared her throat, reluctant to get under her cousin's skin for the time being. "We have Sheriff Keller and Tall Boy. We should split into teams and try to find as much dirt as we can on each. V and me, Cheryl and Toni, and Pea and Archie." 

Sweet Pea's eyebrows furrowed incredulously. 

"Fine, I'll take Andrews but I'm not taking Tall Boy."

"Well, we're not taking him." Cheryl instantly protested and scoffed. "That man is an absolute brute and he still despises TT and I for reasons suspiciously unknown, homophobia is a terrible way of life." She lifted her chin haughtily. 

Betty rolled her eyes.

As if it nothing to do with a year ago when Toni was crashing on Tall Boy's couch after the pipe had burst in her trailer.

The blonde shared a smirk with Sweet Pea before eyeing the redhead. 

"He doesn't hate you because he's homophobic, Cheryl. He hates you two because he caught you naked and going at it in his trailer that one t-time." She choked on the end of her sentence. 

Sweet Pea began howling with laughter, followed by Veronica. 

The brunette had tears in her eyes. 

And Betty's side hurt from laughing, the pain already in her side didn't help. 

Cheryl was far from amused as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Fuck you, blondie." Toni growled. 

Archie chuckled at their shenanigans, shaking his head. 

"So, I guess Tall Boy goes to you two then." He shrugged gesturing to Betty and Veronica, the only lasting pair. 

"Ha." Cheryl mocked them childishly. 

"Whatever, Betty and I can handle _Gerald_." Veronica snorted at the redhead's attitude, seeking warmth further into her girlfriend's side and thinks she imagines the blonde jerking a little ways away. 

Her eyebrows furrowed. 

But then Sweet Pea and Toni almost shot up out of their seats at the brunette, diverting her from her thoughts. 

"Shhhh!" Toni hushed her quickly, glancing around the bar with widened eyes.

"You told her that!?" Sweet Pea hissed at Betty, equally as wide eyed. "Betty, what the hell man!?" He then abruptly turned on Veronica. "You can't tell _anyone_ that." 

Even Cheryl shook her head in what seemed to be reluctant agreement. 

Veronica looked on at the entire scene in bewildered amusement. She shared the look with Archie. The brunette's eyes rolled to the back of her head as Sweet Pea leaned over the table again, imploring eyes practically burning into her own as if she had revealed a government secret. 

"It's a good thing you told me, Sweet Pea. I was planning on announcing on live television tomorrow." She replied sarcastically. 

Betty laughed and reached out her free arm to drive the boy away from her girlfriend. 

"Relax, it's not like he's here and she won't say anything."

Archie snorted. "Wow, you guys are really afraid of him." 

Betty frowned. 

"Not afraid." Toni quickly snapped, eyes narrowed at the redhead and receiving affirmative nod from the rest before continuing rather weakly. "Just...cautious."

"Even I." Cheryl's airily tone admitted with the pink-haired girl. 

"And you two can't judge us until you've met him." Sweet Pea followed up, staring down the two non-Serpents. 

Veronica only huffed of amusement. 

Archie smirked, shrugging. 

"Well luckily, I won't have to. That's all Ronnie and Betty."

"Thanks Andrews." Betty stated flatly, before sighing deeply and getting back down to it. "Veronica and I will ask around the bar and trailer park first. See if Tall Boy seemed up to something it went mysteriously missing for a few hours at the same time Midge was killed or the townhall was shot up." 

There were nods of agreement all around. 

"Toni and I will head to Kevin's to see if Sheriff Keller has anything suspicious lying around." Cheryl added. 

Veronica rose an eyebrow at the girl. "Won't he suspect you after basically threatening him at the funeral?"

"Not if he isn't home." Toni answered, a mischievous look in her eye. 

Archie looked to Sweet Pea, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And we'll check out the police station." 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, followed by Toni and Cheryl. 

Sweet Pea coolly picked the other boy's hand off his shoulder and dropped it. "If I step foot in that place, I'll be detained on site." He brushed the invisible dirt off his leather jacket, shrugging as he glanced at Betty. "Besides, I have a better idea." 

Everyone else remained confused, all except the blonde who began nodding slowly. 

"The Carson brothers." She filled them all in.

Little understanding fell over Cheryl and Toni's expression, while it did nothing to quell the confusion in Veronica and Archie. 

Veronica tilted her head to meet her girlfriend's irises. "I'm sorry, the Carson brothers?"

Cheryl interrupts. "They're Tall Boy's closest, most loyal companions." Her tone sounded baffled. 

Toni frowned. "Yeah, and you're never gonna get them to talk to you, Pea." 

Sweet Pea waved the girls a hand of nonchalance. "Trust me, they owe me a favor." 

Archie sucked in a breath, nodding. "Okay, so Carson brothers. We find out about all we can and meet up in few days to combine our information." 

Sweet Pea's eyes narrowed. "So, we're a gang, but how do _you_ know so much about this stuff?" 

Veronica cut in to break the oncoming tension, sending the redheaded boy a small teasing smile. "Archie here has always had the spirit of a private eye, and a good one at that."

Archie cocked his head at her, thick eyebrows rose playfully in a 'really?' manner. 

"Sounds suspicious if you ask me." Sweet Pea continued with a hostile shrug. 

Veronica sighed. 

And Betty shot him a warning look on her girlfriend's behalf.

Unsurprisingly, it went ignored. 

Cheryl and Toni exchanged looks. 

Archie unfalteringly locked eyes with the older Serpent's hard gaze. 

"I was there when the Black Hood was shooting at the town hall." He asserted, challenging. "And I didn't see _you_."

Veronica tensed at the memory, resting her head on Betty's shoulder providing her comfort. 

Sweet Pea said nothing, but Betty could easily read behind his expression—he almost looked impressed at the redhead's courage. 

The blonde pulled her girlfriend closer into her side, bearing the pain as the brunette laid a grateful kiss upon her jaw. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "With that logic, that means any one of us who wasn't there could be the Black Hood."

"Except Tiny, she's too short." 

Sweet Pea snorted. 

Toni glared across the table. "Yeah keep talking, the Black Hood is pretty buff too and you're not exactly Popeye, string bean." 

"Did _you_ knock a guy out with his own bike helmet, Toni?"

"Oh, are you ever going to shut up about that?" 

The shorter and taller Serpent began arguing, the rest looking on in amusement. 

Betty quirked an eyebrow at her cousin, smirking. "Cheryl?" She added. 

Cheryl laughed in disbelief, inspecting her nails. "Betty, as if I would be caught dead in that tacky ski mask and gloves." She unintendedly repeated her best friend's words from before. 

The blonde looked down at Veronica, amused eyebrow still risen. 

"Why am I not surprised thats the only problem she has with that accusation?" 

Veronica rolled her eyes, fondly giving her girlfriend a look before she lifted her head off her shoulder and spoke to the entire group. 

"Can we all just agree that no one at this table could possibly be the Black Hood?" 

"Agreed." 

Everyone relented. 

Except Sweet Pea.

"Sounds like something the Black Hood would say, but okay..." 

The boy muttered lowly, gulping after meeting the glare of Veronica he immediately shifted his silent gaze to Betty for help.

The blonde entertained by his unease of the 5'2 girl only shrugged, chuckling. 

"Kidding." He cleared his throat, changing the subject. "After we actually find out who this guy is, I vote we track him down and take him out ourselves. There's like eight of us and one of him." 

Betty huffed. 

"So, you're voting suicide?" 

Toni shook her head. "You're insane, Pea. He's a fucking murderer, he'd at least get one of us." 

"And I'm too young to die. TT and I have bright future ahead of us." 

Archie shook his head at the redhead's words. "We all do, Cheryl."

"It wouldn't be suicide, come on Fangs would agree with me and he was shot last month! We just have to come up with a plan first." 

Sweet Pea argued his case, arms swinging in about vehemently at the doubtful group. 

"We'll be like that movie with the dudes who tried to take over the world in like seven months...huh, I don't really remember how it ended." He scratched the back of neck with a thoughtful expression. 

Veronica scoffed. "They all _died_ Sweet Pea." She couldn't believe the tall Serpent. 

"Horrifically." Archie added. 

Sweet Pea shrugged, not willing to back down as he threw an over Cheryl's chair. "Then at least we'd all be together." He grinned cheesily. 

Betty, Veronica, Archie snickered, while Cheryl flipped the boy's arm off her chair with a scowl. 

"This isn't the suicide squad. Die on your own time, Rick Flag."

"We're not taking down a serial killer ourselves, or overthrowing the government, Pea." 

Toni finalized. 

Sweet Pea groaned. "Fine." He yielded with a quiet huff. 

"We find out he is, then we go from there." Betty nodded. 

The group all agreed. 

"Great! First meeting adjourned." 

Veronica clapped, smiling— earning her looks from the Serpents at the table and an amused look from Archie. 

"Um, we don't really clap after our meetings babe." Smiling fondly, Betty leaned down and pecked the shell of the cute brunette's ear. 

Veronica frowned, fingers tracing into the holes in the blonde's ripped jeans she could have sworn hadn't been there earlier. "Well, why not?" She shot doe eyes up into blue irises. 

Betty bit her lip, feeling herself melt instantly. "Well...I meant not always, sometimes we do." Her eyes shot around the table, which slowly broke into hesitant dry claps and several eye rolls. 

"You are so whipped, Cooper." Toni leaned over to tease the taller girl, none-too-quietly, earning her a scathing glare from said blonde. 

"Told you." Sweet Pea grumbled. 

Veronica smiled, squeezing her girlfriend's thigh and pecking her glaring girl's lips to soothe her until the Serpent's lips quirked upward— then the brunette turned on the two hecklers and rose an eyebrow. 

"Sweet Pea, Toni, _do_ hop off it." 

Betty grinned lovingly at her. 

Cheryl and Archie smirked. 

Toni rolled her eyes and Sweet Pea chuckled, standing. 

"Whatever, princess. Imma go order some wings." 

Cheryl shook her glass. "Get me a refill?"

Veronica waved her own. "Me too?" 

The tall Serpent rolled his eyes. 

"That's why we have the waitress, people." He shook his head before stomping off in the direction of the bar. 

"Drama Queen." Betty shook her own head before chivalrously relinquishing the glass out of her girlfriend's hands. "I'll get you a refill, babe." 

Veronica smile was vivacious as she pecked the sweet blonde's lips again, heart melting. "You're the best." 

"Anything for you."

The couple shared a loving stare. 

Until a throat cleared. 

Betty's gaze shot across the table and sighed. 

"You too, ice queen." 

Pleased, Cheryl handed her held up glass to the blonde. "Merci, dearest cousin." 

Veronica laughed as she glanced over to the bar and only seeing Sweet Pea and a couple of unfamiliar faces in matching leather jackets. 

But one missing—the kind young bartender who always gave them free refills. In his place was an obviously bored blonde girl that looked to be a little older them and didn't look half as friendly. 

"What happened to the regular bartender?" The brunette's eyebrows furrowed as Betty stood, and rather slowly, she noticed. 

"Tommy's sick." Toni answered for her, smirking oddly. " _Sophia_ is bartending and waitressing tonight. You know, we should just call her over here to take our orders."

Betty tensed, her movements becoming even slower. 

Cheryl's smirk matched her girlfriends. "Oh, I'm sure Sophie would be more than happy to, isn't that right Betty?"

Veronica eyebrows rose curiously, as did Archie's. 

Betty, on the other hand, involuntarily jolted at the words and her side slammed into the table at just the worst angle. The blonde cursed aloud, hissing as her expression screwing up in pain so strong she couldn't hide. 

Toni's eyes widened while Veronica's hands hovered cautiously over her girlfriend's figure, frowning deeply as she moved the Serpent girl away from the table so she wouldn't hurt herself again. 

Betty's reaction seemed a little extreme, the brunette thought. 

"Are you okay?" Archie asked the blonde slowly. 

Even Cheryl watched her with narrowed eyes. 

Betty straightened up and tried to save face, but her wincing did her no help. "Erm, yeah." She slowly placed the glasses in her hands back on the table and squirmed under the four odd stares she was receiving, particularly from her girlfriend, all unaware of her burning side. "Call the waitress over, m'justgoingtothebathroom." 

Then not waiting for any response, the blonde practically ran off in the direction of said place. 

Veronica's eyes welled up with worry and confusion as she looked after her, wordlessly the brunette stood to follow. 

She maneuvered through dancing and drunken bodies determinedly, making her way to the back and unhesitantly pushing open a familiar label-less dark door.

"Betty?"

The brunette called and creeped cautiously into the cold dark faculty she usually tried to avoid for the very same reasons alone. There was no one in sight, just the black stalls in front of her and equally black sink space across from them. 

But the sink still ran. 

Atop it was surprisingly clean, she noted, all except a wet couple of napkins laid out haphazardly. 

"Betty?" 

Veronica called once more and felt her internal worry triple when her call went unanswered once again, turning her back to the stalls she shoved off the annoying tap and huffed. 

"Hey bitch." 

The door abruptly swung open behind her and shut. 

Veronica sharply glanced up through the mirror over the sink and met the steely eyes of the blonde haired bartender she noticed from earlier, the _Sophia_ Toni had mentioned. 

The brunette spun around instantly, glaring heatedly at the girl's nerve. 

"Excuse me?" Her head tilted, teeth clenched. "Who the hell are you?" 

"Who the hell are _you_?" 

Sophia shot back, slowly intruding even further into her space. 

Veronica upheld her ablazened look, not backing down or finding herself the least bit intimidated by the Southsider. 

"Someone you should be careful not to call a bitch again." She retorted frigidly, tone underlying threat.

Sophie smirked, but the fire in her eyes matched the brunette's own. "Northsiders." The blonde snorted, head shaking in assumable disbelief. "Hook yourself a few Serpents, now you think you can waltz in here all high and mighty like you own the place, like that hot little blonde belongs to you." 

_Betty? Who is this chick?_

Veronica crossed her arms and felt her anger flare even higher, thinking of what possible ways the random girl knew her love. 

"She's my girlfriend." The brunette couldn't help the slight possessiveness that seeped into her tone as she spoke. "She _does_." 

"We'll see about that."

It was all the warning Veronica had before a well-aimed punch was directed at her, one she wasn't prepared for and only had time to flinch backwards from eyes closed in preparation of the pain— though it never came. 

Betty's anger came off her in waves as she held the blocked fist in her hand that had been intended for the girl she loved. Having sprinted out of the stall she had been cowering in since her girlfriend walked in, once again ignoring the screaming in her sides, the blonde had gotten between the two girls just in time. 

_Third fucking time today_

"Sophie..." She lowly grounded out, eyes piercing into the other blonde's. 

Veronica's eyes shot open. "Betty." She gasped breathlessly in surprise at the Serpent's back. 

"Betty." Sophia echoed, smirk wider. 

Betty sighed irritatedly, squeezing the girl's fist in her hand and eliciting a small whimper out of her before hurling it back to her— she leaned in, almost towering over to make the girl's pending endangerment known. 

"Fuck. Off." She growled. 

Sophia wasn't much of a threat, as always flirting with her, the girl was quickly going to become mark number one on the blonde's evergrowing list if she laid a finger on Veronica. 

"Today is _not_ the day." 

Sophie's eyes merely lit up flirtatiously at her words. "Oh, I would love to." She leaned in to match her and Betty's distance, gaze flickering slyly down to the taller blonde's lips. "But I think we should get rid of the brunette first, don't you babe?"

Veronica bristles, tongue in cheek. 

_Babe_

No, Veronica was not having that at all. 

"I would listen to her." She snarled. 

Jealousy was new to her, that was usually Betty. Jealous was something she never felt in any of her past relationships. 

Nevertheless, she was Betty's and Betty was her's. _Only_. 

Betty, who looked pissed off but more annoyed than anything and not angry like she was— as if none of what was happening was new to her. 

The brunette firmly moved passed the blonde's protective stance in front of her, snagging her girlfriend's jacket sleeve and pulling her back to her side, away from the flirtatious bartender. 

Sophia's flirty expression had dropped, eyes shifting from Betty's to hers and narrowing. 

"You don't scare me, sweetheart."

Veronica's fists clenched at her sides as she glowered unflinchingly. 

"Well then fear this." She stood directly in front of the other blonde. 

The tension in the small space was thickening. 

Betty's eyes flickered rapidly between both girls as her girlfriend left her side and took a dangerous step forward. 

Veronica took stance, hand on hip.

"You're right, I am a Northsider and I am _very_ good at getting what I want." 

If there was one thing that being friends with Cheryl Blossom and everyday dealings with catty high school teenage girls had taught her— it was how easily to fall back on her old HBIC role and use it as a weapon. 

The new flicker of unease and scrutiny that flashed across Sophia's otherwise stone features spurred her to continue. 

The brunette made sure to sneer. 

"And what I want right now is for you to back off my girlfriend, before we have a problem." 

"And any problem you have with her you have with me and the Serpents. Veronica is apart of us now, Sophie." 

She felt Betty at her back, the blonde's front pressed against her giving her all the safety and comfort she needed. 

Sophia choked. "Veronica? Like Lodge?" She took a sudden slow step back, eyeing them in alarm. "...as in Hiram Lodge?" 

"The one and only." Betty relayed dryly.

While Veronica's eyebrows drew mockingly upward at the startled girl. 

"Scared now?" 

Sophia was.

Or if the fronted huff she gave before storming off and swinging open the bathroom door was anything to go by.

In seconds, the girl was gone. 

The couple let out a simultaneous sigh, relaxing into each other, Betty into Veronica's back and the brunette into the blonde's front.

Grateful, for once, her father's name and reputation to follow came in handy. 

"Who is she?" Veronica glanced over her shoulder arms crossing again, gaze promptly fixed on Betty's. She wanted-no _needed_ to know who this Sophia was to the Serpent. 

Betty sighed, reluctant to go into detail about the pesky girl and merely shrugged. "Complicated history?" 

_"Complicated history?"_

Veronica simply repeated, resolute expression unchanging. 

The blonde chuckled softly, yielding as she saw the look in her girlfriend's unrelenting irises and made quick to assure her, placing her hands on the brunette's tensed shoulders she squeezed lightly. 

"Sophia was before even Jughead, V. She's not a Serpent or anything but we made out once at a party on a stupid dare, after that she asked me out and I rejected her because I wasn't interested. Soon after that I started dating Jug and she was always bitter about it. She never stops occasionally hitting on me." She rolled her eyes. "Jug and the others thought it was hilarious." 

Veronica didn't. 

But she knew she could hardly be upset at Betty, her girlfriend who had just saved her from a fist fight with a bitchy bartender in a shady bathroom of a bar. 

The brunette sighed, taking the blonde's hands off her shoulders and bringing them around her waist. 

Betty more than happily allowed her, grateful Veronica wasn't upset at her. Maneuvering them so that they were facing the mirror, she dropped her chin on top of the shorter girl's and met her eyes through their reflection, smirking. 

"Green looks beautiful on you." The blonde teased, to her girlfriend's scoff and she nudged her playfully. "I doubt she'll be bothering us anymore, I've never seen her look so spooked. You're a triple threat, babe." 

"Really?" 

Veronica's eyebrows rose slowly at the taller girl through the mirror, curiosity peaked and ego officially stroked. 

Betty chuckled and held the brunette closer, albeit lightly to her stomach, she leaned down to nip at her love's ear lightly. 

"Are you kidding me, Lodge? Hearing you speak like that, I've never been so proud, scared, and turned on all at the same time." 

Veronica giggled. "You dolt." She reached back to brush a strand of blonde out of Betty's eyes to tuck behind her ear...and froze as the girl let out a surprising hiss. 

Betty involuntarily flinched away from the brunette's touch as it brushed against the forming bruise on the side of her head. She hadn't realized her hair was no longer covering it. 

Veronica spun around at lightening speed causing the blonde's arms to drop from around her and her shirt to lift at the momentum, brown eyes just catching a flash of purple before it was shielded from her sight. 

Betty cursed, quickly bringing down the material and bowing her head— all too late. 

Veronica frowned silently. 

"What...?"

Her hands forcefully turned the blonde's head up, ignoring half-hearted protests as she heatedly examined the small purple discoloration marring her girlfriend's beautiful skin. 

She abruptly grabbed her close. 

"V, don't." 

Betty weakly resisted the determined fingers pulling at the ends of her shirt, though unwilling to hurt the girl she loved, the brunette easily pushed her away and drew up the material— revealing the dark purple bruise tainting her side, considerably more extensive than before. 

Veronica gasped, hands flying to her mouth. 

Horror, anger, and confusion coursed through her veins all at once. 

Betty grimaced down at the bruise exposed by her half-lifted shirt. It had gotten worse. She cursed lowly, eyes lowering as her hands going to slowly pull the material down once more only to be stopped by the firm hands of the brunette in front of her.

"Veronica..." She looked up swallowing, meeting the fierce searing gaze of her girlfriend. 

Veronica's shaking fingers bunched tightly, unrelentingly, into the ends of the shirt as she attempted to breath steadily. 

"Betty...what...the _fuck_ happened?" 

The brunette's voice sounded in the space, entirely too quiet and scarily calm. 

Aside from her cursing, which she rarely did. 

Betty hesitated.

"Don't you dare." Veronica's voice shook with every emotion that filled her, seeing right through the blonde. "Don't you dare lie to me, Betty. Explain. _Right now._ " 

Betty sighed. 

And then she did. 

But by the end of her story, Veronica was no calmer. 

Betty had since locked them in the barely used bathroom and the brunette had taken to using the cool wet towel the blonde had been using before she had entered to press lightly against her side. 

"So, you took on two guys?" She spoke numbly, heart clenching with every wince the Serpent made as her eyes traced along the warm bruised skin in sync with barely there fingertips. 

"Babe, it's really okay, okay?" Betty's hand fell lightly over the one on her side, gently stroking the back of the brunette's hand with her thumb assuring her. "V, they barely touched me-"

Veronica's head whipped up instantly. "No, it's not okay, Betty!" She erupted, towel clenched and eyes brimmed with tears. "Look at what they did to you!"

"Shhhhh." 

Betty quickly pulled the shaking girl back into her arms, joint hands pressed between them, feeling meager tears staining her jacket and the material of her own hoodie the brunette wore. 

Her heart clenched. 

The blonde had her fair share of emotional as well as physical cuts, bruises, and broken bones residing on the Southside, all the more being in a gang— she was desensitized. Veronica wasn't. Even if she tried to act like she was. 

"They hurt you." 

Veronica's blood boiled at the thought, carefully removing her hands from the bruise and drawing back down the shirt. The towel between her grip catapulted back onto the sink behind her as she pulled out of the embrace and met her girlfriend's soft reassuring blue eyes with her red rimmed brown. 

"W-Why didn't you tell me? And _why_ have you been walking around like this all day?" She demanded. 

Betty's hands reached up to cup the erratic brunette's cheeks, wiping her tears away. "Veronica, I promise you it's not as bad as it looks. I'm just really pale." She confessed honestly and cracked a joking smile. "Those guys were terrible fighters, I probably could have beat them blind folded and with Sweet Pea tied to my back."   
  
Veronica doesn't laugh. 

"Did you tell FP? Or the others?" She continued. 

Betty sighed and shook her head. 

"They would start a war over this on the Southside. Plus, I can handle myself." She gave the brunette pointed look. "And you know we can't focus on finding the Black Hood if we have to keep looking over our shoulders." 

Veronica grinded her teeth. She knew Betty was right, though she wouldn't blame the Serpents, she wanted to hurt those guys herself.

"Why did they go after you?" Her eyebrows furrowed, hands thrown in the air. "I mean, why not Toni or Fangs? They're dating Northsiders too, and Kevin's the Sheriff's _son_!" 

Betty's gaze strayed falteringly away. 

"Yeah, but none of their parents have ever tried to demolish our only place to live." She winced, apologetically. 

Veronica sighed, resting her head back against the blonde's shoulder. Her head ached with her growing resentment of the man. 

Betty held her tight. 

She squeezed her eyes closed, only slightly put at ease. 

"There's more of them who have prejudices against associating with Northsiders, aren't there? Betty, what if next time theres more guys, better at fighting? What if they're bigger than you? What if you can't handle them? What if-"   
  
"What if _nothing_." Betty stopped the rambling girl she loved, peering down at the top of her head. "I still have the Serpents and none of that is going to happen. They were just a couple of random guys. I've survived seventeen years on the Southside, babe."

Veronica only nodded against her, slowly wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck— the brunette leaned up on her toes, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of the Serpent's bruised head.

"Betty?" She sniffed. 

"Mm?" 

"You'll tell me if things like this happen?" 

It was more of a statement than a question. 

And Betty didn't hesitate. 

"I'll tell you." She lied. 

"Good." 

Veronica's breathing shuttered against the blonde's neck— trying to ignore the doubt that filled her, she sucked in another breath and confessed. 

"Betty...I want you to know that I know you're hiding something from me." 

Betty tensed, her heart stalled with fear. 

Veronica felt her and gripped the blonde closer.

"I won't ask you to tell me...not right now anyway." 

There was a passing beat before Betty nodded, silently. 

The nagging at the back of Veronica's mind only increased at the admittance. 

Another silent beat passed. Betty swallowed. 

"Veronica...remember when you asked me why I kept looking over my shoulder at the funeral?"

Veronica frowned. "This is why?" 

The blonde shook her head. 

"No. It isn't, and that's what's bothering me."

The brunette pulled away slightly to look into her girlfriend's worrying irises, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

"Betty, what are saying?"

"I feel like someone's watching."

Betty quietly admitted. 

It was one relief off her chest, but not the biggest relief she sought. 

Veronica's eyes widened. "What?" 

Apprehension and disheartenment was replaced by utter disbelief and unease. 

The blonde was quick to clarify. 

"But not like those guys earlier, I can't explain it. It seems more somehow like someone's just...patiently watching." 

"You think someone's _watching_ you?" The brunette breathed out incredulously. 

Betty sighed. "No, not just me. _Us_." 

Veronica swallowed. 

Betty was hiding something from her.

Betty thought someone was watching them. 

And not just any random Northsider or Southsider looking for a fight because they were together. 

_But who? Why would someone be watching them? What would they possibly want?_

The brunette blinked out of her worriedly racing thoughts as she saw Betty wince, holding fingers to her head. 

Her headache was spreading.

She would ponder on her anxieties later. 

Betty came first. 

She wordlessly tangled her fingers into the blonde's own and moved. 

Leaving the bathroom, both girls were heavily comforted by the fact by thought that their day couldn't possibly turn out any worse. 

...  
  
"Where have you two been? We already ordered refills." 

Cheryl voiced at the couple annoyed as soon as the girls rejoined their table, though there was underlying concern in her eyes as she looked up at them.

Betty and Veronica exchanged a look, mouths opening and closing shut as they stood beside the table above their oblivious sitting friends staring up at them— neither had thought up an excuse to leave from their short walk back from the bathroom. 

"Uh oh. Looks like _Sophia's_ coming our way." 

It was Sweet Pea to disrupt their silent stammering, eyes having wandered off behind them. 

Veronica tensed and Betty stiffened. 

None of which went unnoticed by the group. 

Archie's eyebrows rose. "Who's Sophia?" 

Toni snorts into her drink. 

"Oh, just a long time secret admirer of blondie's." She teased. 

The rest of the gang laughed, all except the confusedly frowning redheaded boy. 

"Topaz..." 

Betty warned, eyes narrowed down as the smirking pink-haired girl rose her hands in surrender. 

Veronica only huffed, readily pulling her girlfriend closer as the bartending waitress grew near. 

Sophia approached the quiet table with a vengeance in her step, she looked at no member while all but slamming down the drinks in her hands and storming off without a word. 

All but the standing couple and Archie looked on amused as the girl left. 

Sweet Pea chuckled and then grimaced as he leaned over to eye the liquid in Veronica's glass in particular. "If I were you, I would _not_ drink that." He advised, fruitlessly. 

Cheryl lifted her own glass and eyed its contents skeptically. 

Betty rolled her eyes in annoyance but squeezed the brunette's hand. 

"He's right." 

Veronica scoffed. 

"Duely noted." She used her free hand to slide the drink over to the overly amused Toni and commented mockingly. "Cheers, Topaz."

With a look of disbelief, Toni pushed the glass to the middle of the table— as Veronica turned her gaze over to the bar, Sophia met her glare for glare. 

Cheryl crossed her arms, the redhead's eyebrow rose as she leaned back in her chair to observe the exchange. 

"You could take her." 

Sweet Pea and Toni nodded in agreement. 

Betty's annoyed didn't cease at her friend's flippant encouragement. 

Veronica reluctantly tore her glare away and turned back to the four, shaking her head in little amusement. "Thanks, but no thanks, Cheryl." She sighed and glanced up into her girlfriend's eyes, those blue eyes less annoyed when they met her's. "Betty and I are going to go." 

"Are you sure, Ronnie? If it's the waitress, we can make a complaint to the owner or something." 

Archie's concern gaze landed carefully on her features. 

He was really too sweet. 

At least Veronica thought, softening as she turned on him. 

Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Toni shook their heads. 

While Betty just barely fought off an eye roll. 

"You really don't know how this place works, do ya bud?" She ridiculed. 

Archie's eyebrows furrowed.

Veronica ignored the blonde's attitude and placed her hand on the redhead's shoulder, squeezing. 

"It's not that, Archie. It's getting dark and I don't want my dad to get suspicious." 

It had taken a total of twenty minutes to get their friends to let them to leave, eventually after saying their goodbyes, the couple walked out of the dark bar and into the even darker parking lot arm and arm.

Betty sighed in relief when she saw her bike safely parked in front and only a few dark leering characters hanging about the outside. 

Veronica clearly didn't share the relief as she stuck to her girlfriend's side, lost in somber thoughts about someone watching them and Betty keeping secrets from her and the bruise covering the blonde's side as they walked. 

Betty had warned her about the Southside and people getting hurt, sure, but that was when they were talking about her. 

Not Betty.

She hated Betty getting hurt. 

And Betty was used to it. 

Her heart gripped and she tightened her hand around the blonde's arm. 

"I know you're still upset." 

Betty spoke quietly, breaking into the silent cool night air surrounding them— the brunette's actions not even close to having gone unnoticed by her. 

She looked down to meet Veronica's cool gaze. 

"Not about Sophia, right?" Her eyebrows rose hopefully. 

Veronica simply shook her head in silence— that bitch having diminished from her thoughts the moment she stepped through the exit of the establishment. 

It wasn't another girl that she was worried about taking Betty away from her...

Betty sighed as the girls reached her bike, she reached over and put the key in the ignition before turning to look at the brunette having yet to climb onto the rumbling machine.

Veronica chewed into her lip tentatively as the blonde swallowed, taking her hands in hers.

"I'm sorry." Betty groaned in frustration at having upset the brunette with her problems as she rambled. "I should have been completely honest with you, but I told you about the danger that comes with being with me. I was just trying to keep you safe and some things if you knew them, you might not be, and I love you too much to-" 

Veronica pressed a finger to the girl's adorably rambling lips, stopping her. 

"I love you too." She squeezed the blonde's hands, her gaze meant to be gentle and assuring although her troubled thoughts betrayed her expression. "Betty, I'm mostly upset because someone hurt you. I _hate_ that, and I know you have the Serpents but that doesn't me from being terrified that somethings going to happen and I won't be there. Now you think someone is _watching_ , I just-" 

A pair lips pressed against her own, her turn to be interrupted. 

The kiss slow and soft, full of assurance and love slowly fading away her troubles. 

The brunette's hands came to rest on either sides of Betty's cheeks as the blonde pulled away, eyeing her intensely. 

"...don't know what I'd do without you." She finished, breathlessly. 

Betty smiled, her insides warm with the love Veronica had for her and vice versa. 

"And you'll never find out." She promised softly, even if she knew she shouldn't. 

It put a growing smile back on Veronica's face and that was what mattered. 

The brunette felt full as she launched at her blonde peppering kisses, loving and teasing, along her face and jawline. 

Betty closed her eyes in pleasure, unwarranted flush traveling where her girlfriend's lips touched her skin and downward. Rolling her nose against the teasing brunette's cheek, she half cursed half groaned.

"Come on." She said knowingly, reluctantly pulling herself away. 

Veronica laughed lightly as the blonde helped them both onto her bike, visibly straining. Depositing the helmet on her head, the brunette carefully placed her arms over the Serpent girl's shoulders to alleviate her side and lovingly kissed her cheek. 

The couple rode off onto the dark back roads of the Southside in the direction of the North, cool wind whipping through the girl's hair and clothes— an experience the Northside girl had begun to find comforting. 

The night was peaceful and there virtually no bikes or other cars to evade. 

Idly, Veronica only caught sight of one as she burrowed into her girlfriend's shoulder. 

Another black motorbike speeding ahead of them in the opposite direction. 

Coming toward them. 

_Straight_ towards them, both girls realized too late.

The front wheels of the opposite bike collided head on with Betty's before either knew it. 

Veronica's fingers clutched panickedly to the leather of Betty's jacket as the Serpent's hands fumbled frantically with the handles of her bike furiously losing control.

Time seemed to slow as dangerously sparking metal scraped against asphalt.

Heavy wheels raising off the road. 

And then Betty lost control completely. 

"Betty!" 

"Veronica! _Shit!_ " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your feedback and kudos!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What possible reason would only one of them have in attacking a single Serpent and a half? It doesn't add up." 
> 
> "...i-it's really Betty I'm more worried about." 
> 
> "Sometimes it just feels like she's holding back, that there's some things she's not telling me." 
> 
> "You trust Betty, don't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, my apologies guys. I haven't been majorly motivated lately but I promise more future chapters soon, double the action, suspense, and surprises!
> 
> Meanwhile, here's two more chapters!

_"Fuck."_

Betty hissed as her back connected heavily to the ground covered with grass, having been propelled off the dark side of the road. The blonde's vision blurred on impact, hazily aware of her previously screeching bike currently a hulking weight half on top of her. 

"V-V? Veronica?" 

She croaked, panicked tone as rushed as her racing heartbeat threatening to burst out of her chest at the thought of her girlfriend hurt. Her hand reached out blindly in search for the brunette, rapidly blinking the darkness blurring the edges of her vision aside as she called out. 

"V-" 

A pair of fingers intertwined with her own. 

"I-I'm okay." 

Without thinking, Betty's body relaxed into the cold ground in relief as her head turned right and met the sight of her helmeted girlfriend virtually unharmed— the blood rushing to the blonde's ears had failed her in perceiving the heavily respiring girl beside her. 

Veronica sucked in a slightly pained and disoriented breath, a stinging in her side where she landed on the hard ground along with the bike on top of her. Regardless of her disoriented state, hearing Betty's muffled voice calling her name through the pounding in head seemed to help stabilize her back down to planet Earth. 

_What...just happened?_

She felt as though she could barely speak, no less think, and did the only thing she could do—squeezing at her girlfriend's fingers between hers. 

There came a slight groan and movement before she felt the helmet on her head being ripped off.

The brunette winced as she blinked up at Betty's face for the first time, the moon being their only source of light, hair and clothes in disarray both girls were even more so relieved when their eyes met. 

Betty had rolled onto her bruised side to reach Veronica, no doubt they would both have a few added on scratches and bruises to their bodies. She huffed and carelessly threw the helmet in her hands off to the side as she willed herself into sitting position, snatching her keys out of her bike's ignition while pure adrenaline managed to push it off of her and her girlfriend. 

"What the hell was that?" 

Veronica breathed incredulously as she gained her bearings and Betty helped her sit up. The brunette glanced around warily. Nothing. It was night and they were surrounded by trees she was certain went on for miles. 

She absentmindedly ran her hands over the blonde sat beside her, checking her over as Betty grunted and held her side, slowly getting to her feet. 

Veronica paused her reeling to frown in concern. "Betty? Are you okay?" 

_"No."_

Betty practically growled out at the question as she looked around, decidedly not from pain but anger. She held her hand, feeling the brunette's hand comfortingly slipping into hers as she wrapped her own around the girl assuringly and pulled her up from the ground. 

Veronica's body ached as she stood, her other hand coming to press onto the tensed blonde's collarbone, tracing soothingly as they peered out onto the road. There were no signs of anything, particularly no second bike that crashed into them. 

_Had they kept riding?_

"Did they crash?" The brunette's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, maybe their counterpart had crash landed further into the woods. 

"I don't think so." 

Betty's eyes were dark as she took in the road and shook her head, instincts screaming at her and her jaw clenched. 

"But I think whoever they were succeeded in their goal of _purposely_ trying to hit us off the road." 

"Purposely?" Veronica's head snapped to the blonde in surprise, her hands shakily ran through her hair tussling out leaves and god knows what else as she sighed in disbelief. "But _why?_ " 

_Did it have to do with the guys Betty fought earlier? But from what Betty had told her and wouldn't seem possible they even the capability? Or maybe it had to do with who ever Betty thought was watching them?_

"Something I would love to find out, babe." Betty muttered, not once tearing her eyes away from their surroundings or loosening her grip on her girlfriend's hand.

The area was quiet, too quiet. 

The back of the blonde's neck tingled, she hadn't heard another motorbike ride off once they had been hurled off the road and her own motorbike lie dormant. 

_So, where was the other bike? Or it's rider?_

Veronica felt the same tingles run up her spine, unease and dread filling her bones at the sound of silence only penetrated to her and Betty's baiting breaths. Her blonde's ever looming presence was comforting, but she wouldn't fully relax until they were both back home safe where they could make sense of whatever the hell was happening— the brunette's eyes hesitantly drifted down to the no longer running bike lifeless on its side and started thinking _if_ they could make it home. 

"Bett-"

She turned, just in time for Betty's hand to instantly clamp over her mouth. Bewildered brown irises widened as they stared into the equally as dilated blue of her girlfriend's frigid form in front of her— it was only then that the brunette's ears could register the slow but heavy footfalls that rang out through the quiet night like a terrifying tune nearing them. 

There was no warning as Veronica suddenly found herself being drug backwards, further into the pitch black concealment of the woods. The brunette's involuntary trail connected her with several twigs and dry leaves before her front was pressed up against a mammoth of a tree, a body firmly weighted to her back and hand still at her mouth. 

The brunette felt too tense to move as she became aware of Betty's stuttered breathing down her neck, the couple peering around the tree. While both girls were out of sight, the road ahead of them was well within plain sight— but even managing to squint through the darkness, it was hard to see the helmeted face of the bulky muscle-built figure dressed in all black walking into the street and stopping to stand over the blonde's abandoned motorcycle. 

The figure stared down at the bike and stood almost robotically still a full minute, the glint of a knife in their hand shone off the moonlight unmistakable. 

Betty tried to ignore her racing heart to keep diligent focus over her girlfriend's head which proved immensely difficult considering she could practically hear Veronica's as the dark figure's helmet shot upward and seemed to pause right in their direction. 

Her hand outstretched for her own weaponry as she held the brunette tighter to her and Veronica clung to the pale arm protectively around her— the brunette's other hand went quivering into the kangaroo pockets of the dirt and grass stained hoodie she wore.

Then simultaneously both girls brandished pocket knives from hoodie and jacket, one marked the initials BC and the other JJ. 

Veronica held her breath as she gripped onto the former and her girlfriend like a lifeline. Betty reciprocated, eyebrows raising.

The BC knife having been given to Veronica weeks ago had never been returned Betty knew, and despite the unease going through her for the girl in her arms and having to use it for the threatening figure they kept their eyes peeled to, she silently felt both proud and impressed. 

Proud and impressed quickly faded away to burning anger as the knife-wielding figure in helmet shifted their attention back down to her precious bike and delivered a swift violent kick to the engine, followed by an angry stomp down onto the bike's exhaust. 

Betty growled lowly, and she knew in that moment Veronica's safety was all that was holding her back from very _physically_ announcing her presence out onto the street— injuries be damned. 

Veronica leaned back into the tensed blonde as a warning. 

The figure looked up, their helmet seeming to shoot one last look, almost daringly out into the dark trees that kept them hidden before slowly turning their back and taking off into the trees on the opposite side of the road— heavy footfalls faded away and the telltale sound of a motorbike engine disappeared with it into the night. 

But the air between the couple remained frozen. Staring into the space where the dark figure once was in complete silence. 

Veronica swallowed, and Betty's hand slowly came away from her girlfriend's mouth as they met eyes to exchange equally as 'what the hell just happened?' looks. 

The slow cautious walk out of the protection of the woods and back to the street was a daunting few seconds, the girl's hands tangled tightly mostly in fear for the other before they stood over Betty's bike looking downward at the poor machine. 

"Will it still run?" 

Veronica winced at the first sound of her own voice in the former quiet air.

Nothing too major looked out of place, except the massive dent in the exhaust.

Betty let out a huff, reluctant to put her knife away. 

"Only one way to find out." 

The blonde squeezed the brunette's hand once before releasing her hesitantly and crouching next to the ground, knife still in hand as she gingerly lifted the bike with care. 

Veronica sighed chillingly, tucking her own knife away, arms in goosebumps instantly going to wrap around her person in loss of her girlfriend's touch. The brunette glanced around, down the empty road sans creepy dark trees, shivering. Surely, they wouldn't get any cell phone signal out in the middle of nowhere. 

"Come on, come on..." 

Betty muttered, sliding her keys into her successfully verticalized bike ignition and turning. She aimed her ear down towards the engine and kept Veronica in her side-eye, not wanting the brunette out of her sight for a second. 

It rumbled, but barely. 

She cursed. 

A hand rubbed smoothly down her arm. 

Veronica knew how much the precious bike meant to the Serpent. 

Betty took ahold of the throttle, revving, and sighed heavily. 

The low rumbling increased to its usual full volume coming to life, in spite of the engine sounding flooded, it would at least be enough to get them home. 

A relieved smile flooded Veronica's expression at the noise to match the blonde's own as Betty offered her a tentative smile and her hand. 

She quickly took her girlfriend's hand, reaching down for the neglected helmet at her feet before climbing on the back of the bike. 

Betty soon after, only then tucking her knife away and immediately tightening both hands to the throttle and clutch to take off. Very much done with the entire day. 

Neither girl wanted to be stuck in the horror movie they found themselves in any longer. 

Veronica in particular had been dreading the miles walk back to civilization in the dark, and in truth, she didn't desire sharing the company of anyone else but Betty that night.

"Betty?" 

The brunette made sure she strengthened her hold around the blonde's stiffened shoulders, signaling her to stop and she did.

"Babe?"

They spoke in soft tones. 

"I want to go home with you." She confessed, resting her head on the blonde's leather clad skin. 

Veronica had not once spent the night since they had been dating, it had been an unspoken principle between them. For very obvious reasons. 

Betty hesitated, glancing back to meet her girl's beautiful brown eyes in the moonlight. 

"V..." 

Veronica frowned, eyebrows furrowing themselves in longing. "I don't care what your mom says. I'll tell my parents I'm sleeping at Cheryl's just... _please_...after today, I just need to be with you tonight, Betty." 

The occurrences of the day ran through both girl's heads. Betty getting hurt in a fight. Veronica's almost altercation with Sophia. Being drove off the road by a stranger with a knife. 

"I need you." Veronica breathed into her girlfriend's neck, beyond caring if she sounded needy and her voice shook. "Please?" 

Betty began nodding slowly, already knowing she couldn't deny the girl anything and not wanting to anyway— she released the clutch and took the brunette's hand that was around her, laying multiple kisses to her knuckles. 

"I need you too." She promised gently, feeling a small growing smile at the back of her neck. " _Always_ , Veronica." 

The blonde was quick to make a full u-turn in the middle of road with her bike, speeding off back to the Southside. 

Fifteen minutes hadn't seemed like a long drive to either girl, considering the thirty minute walk it could have been. 

Fortunately, and unsurprisingly, the trailer was empty when they arrived. No Alice Cooper in sight. No _parent_ at all in sight. 

While Veronica held an ice pack in one hand, her arm that had been slipped through the blonde's tightened it's hold, pulling her closer as she remembered exactly why the trailer was completely empty. 

Namely, the motorcycle accident that resulted in her girlfriend's fathers death. 

"Which side do you sleep on?" She spoke barely above a whisper, head rested against Betty's shoulder. 

The girls stood somberly at the for end of Betty's fairly small bed that they had began the day on, changed into more comfortable shorts and t-shirts belonging to the blonde. 

Even still, Betty couldn't prevent the muted jolt that shot through her at the thought of sharing the night with the girl rested against her side. 

"Well, I usually sleep in the middle." She briefly dropped her chin to the head on her shoulder playfully before sending the brunette eyeing her lovingly a small smile while shrugging. "So V, unless you're gonna sleep on top of me then-"

"Yes." 

Veronica interlaced their fingers, refusing to hear anymore, before dragging the blonde to the bed.

That night the girls cuddled tenderly, practically on top of each other. Veronica pressing cold ice pack into Betty's bruising side, while each took turns whispering soothing words into one another's ears around the days events before eventually falling peacefully to their inevitable urges to sleep. 

Unaware, and _more_ than a little wary, of what more would await them when they woke. 

... 

Veronica thought it was rather fortunate she had never bruised easy, that would be the icing on top of the cake of having to explain to her parents she suddenly thought best not to come home last night. While small bruises were still shown from the accident, along with the aching muscles and occasional dull stinging, evidence of the actual event was barely there. 

Though it still hurt, even the big purple bruise on Betty's side had begun healing back to its natural coloration after being iced all night. Veronica had spotted it in the morning, waking up snuggled into the blonde's chest and surrounded in each other's arms all warm and cozily. A lazy lovesick grin had spread over the entirety of the tired brunette's face and hadn't ceased until Betty had made it physically impossible by continuously pressing her lips against hers until Veronica had relented to her girlfriend's persuasion—not before she saw the same grin plastered ear-to-ear across the adorable Serpent's face to match her own. 

Feelings of accidents and dark knife-wielding figures pushed far from their minds.

If the girls didn't have their very own bruising memories to prove it, the events that transpired the night before felt all but a dream. 

Eventually being sucked back into reality, the two girls made it out of bed, briefly involving an awkward run in with Alice stumbling into the trailer from the night just as they were leaving which resulted in Betty quickly pulling Veronica out the door and spouting a hasty lie about her being late for school as they left to take on new problems of the day. 

And Betty was already two for two. 

"It...has character, its unique baby." 

"I think you mean _antique_ and an embarrassment, V."

The brunette's trying albeit amused comment was met with a deadpan from Betty and a half-hearted glare sent upward her way. 

Veronica uselessly stood over the working blonde kneeling in front of the heap of metallic junk that called itself a motorbike, it having just barely gotten them into the far back of Riverdale High's parking lot that morning from the Southside's auto shop where FP had loaned it to her girlfriend while her own was being repaired. 

The spare bike was anything but an upgrade. 

Betty groaned as she forcefully wiped at scratched paint with the rag in her hand, pursuing one of the many dents that just wouldn't give— undoubtedly from years of abuse by former Serpents. The old black bike, so rusted it was technically orange, still let out thick puffs of smoke despite having been for the better part of a half hour and gone maximum speed limit of 25 mph, jerking wildly at any time the blonde tried to accelerate. 

It would suffice to say, she would be the laughing stock of all her friend's jokes for awhile. 

All thanks to the _prick_ who ran them off the road. 

"Okay, so your bike is a little more hot James Dean circa 1950's-ish." 

Veronica sighed and ran a hand comfortingly through her girlfriend's hair. 

Uncaring of the steadily increasing student body and hardly subtle stares of her classmates—every once in a while the brunette would languidly tangle her fingers through blonde tresses, the Serpent having continued to wear them down from the day before, and as the wind flew long strands into the clearly already frustrated girl's field of vision, Veronica would tuck them behind her ear. 

Her other hand toyed with the straw of a coffee cup in her hand as she glanced poorly at the bike and tried to find anything at all good about it just when Betty stopped what she was doing to stare up at her in disbelief. 

Then Veronica eyed the bike's seats and a smug smile lifted her lips, untangling her hand from Betty's hair she ran her palm along them. 

"It doesn't have these stylish camouflage seats like this one has." She pointed out rather smartly, eyebrows rose. 

Betty's own eyebrows rose in turn, the brunette noted with confusion that a small amused smile tugged on the blonde's own lips as she slowly stood up to her full height and took ahold of her hand while removing it carefully from the seats. 

"Yeah that's mold, babe." 

Veronica squeaked, smug smirk disappearing as she removed herself even further away from the dreadful bike. 

Involuntarily, her mind went back to who was responsible for it all, how terrified she had been during the accident, and how it undoubtedly brought up memories for Betty. They were obviously being targeted, but by who and why was still a chilling mystery to her. 

The brunette hadn't realized her face had fallen until a finger stroked down her cheek, she slowly blinked up into her girlfriend's blue eyed protective gaze. 

Betty looked down at Veronica softly, swinging their hands, knowing exactly where her mind had gone. 

"Also, my bike isn't an 'it', she's a _she_." She scolded playfully.

An attempt successful in making Veronica smile again, eyes rolling to the back of her head. 

"We're going to get that son of a bitch, whoever he is." 

The Serpent's voice softened, as always despising anything that made the brunette upset, _especially_ things that impaired her bike.

Veronica's smile stretched, squeezing the blonde's hand as she moved closer— as close as public 'friendship' would allow—and raised coffee cup to her lips.   
  
"Sounds promising." Her tone teased, with only a tinge of anxiety. 

She wasn't keen on the thought of Betty going after any violent menace carrying around a knife, for the same reasons she knew Betty was keeping her close.

A sudden thick cloud of black smoke arose through the air, causing the girls to cough. 

"It is." Betty swore to the brunette after maneuvering her back, the blonde's voice hardening as she broke away to turn to the old bike grumbling temperedly. "Unlike this piece of sh-"

_"Betty."_

Veronica chastised, minding her coffee and pressing both hands into the taller girl's shoulders, turning her back around to face her. 

"Sorry, it's just not the same, V." 

Betty's shoulders fell pitifully, giving up on the motorbike and tossing the neglected rag that came with it over the clutch.

Just about every negative thought faded from Veronica's thoughts as she got to witness her seventeen year old girlfriend, member of dangerous gang, and self-proclaimed badass pout and kick the tires of her borrowed bike with the back of her heels like a child. 

The brunette giggled before getting the blonde to quit with a quiet mutter of 'stop it, babe', mentally scoffing over the Serpent's shoulder at the group of whispering girls leaning against a sports car and another of gawking guys watching them closely. 

"I know, okay?" She spoke gently, rising on her toes to kiss her sulking love's cheek and eye her affectionately. "Betty, just relax, you're going to draw more attention to us than the archaic smoking bike already has." 

"You're right." 

Betty grumbled, although she continued brooding a few moments under her girlfriend's amused gaze before sighing. 

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up anyway, V." 

The blonde looked at the brunette fondly despite her annoyance and definite decision to head the auto shop to check on her bike the moment she finished dropping off her girlfriend, her arms went comfortably around the shorter girl, catching her waist as she bounced down from her toes. 

Veronica's eyes softened and her hands tightened to her love. 

It wasn't just about the bike. 

"Well it's only fair, you started it." The brunette smiled tenderly, suddenly finding it very hard to care about the attention they were getting with Betty so close, her fingers walked subtly down the blonde's stomach between their bodies. "...and I have _better_ ways for cheering you up, you know?"

Betty's breath hitched, annoyance instantly all but dissolved and sufficiently drained from her voice replaced by blatant desire at her beautiful girlfriend's offer.

"Do you?" 

She grinned, wanting nothing more than for the girl in front of her to help make her forgot about their shitty week. 

"A hundred percent satisfaction guaranteed."

Veronica smirked to match and hummed idly as she noticed the blonde's blue eyes darkening, wanting nothing more than to give it to her— regardless of what they had already gotten up to that morning. 

Without knowing it, both girl's lips had begun drifting closer and closer and very much out of 'friendship' territory.

"Good morning lovebirds." 

A familiar sarcastic intone rung through the parking lot, followed by a car door slam.

The couple flinch turning to their offender, placid smiles plastered across their faces. 

Cheryl stepped away from her red convertible, giving a distasteful look at the bike behind them and waving a hand through the air, wafting the lingering smoke aside—the redhead rose a knowing eyebrow. 

"Subtle as always." 

Reluctantly, Betty and Veronica broke away from one another but kept their hands together. 

"Bestie." Veronica welcomed fluidly, raising coffee in greeting. 

"I had an interesting call last night, what a coincidence that you two seem to be glowing." 

Cheryl's arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, offering zero greeting in return. 

Betty heaved a sigh, falling to sit on the edge of her lended bike and shot the redhead the usual bored stare. 

"What are you on about, Cheryl?"

"I'm glad you asked, annoyance."

The redhead barely casted the scoffing blonde the usual irritated look before her gaze landed back on Veronica. 

" _Hiram Lodge_ called the Blossom residence last night. Imagine my surprise when he began interrogating me as to the impromptu overnight study-in you and I were apparently partaking in without my prior knowledge, _bestie_." 

Veronica winced.

Betty tensed. 

"You covered for me, right?" The brunette's eyes pleaded into her best friend's. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Of course I did."

Betty and Veronica exchanged looks, relaxing as the redhead continued her spiel. 

"Luckily for you my dragon of mother has long since been evicted and Nana Rose was gracious enough to confirm both our stories for the sake of young love, anything for her favorite pair of pseudo great granddaughters." 

Veronica's eyebrows rose in delighted surprised. 

While, Betty grinned. "Alright, Nana Rose." 

That woman had covered both her and Cheryl's asses more times than they could count growing up— and now Veronica's— it wasn't the first time and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. 

Cheryl briefly shared the blonde's smirk, before cocking her head to the side with purpose. 

"I want to know why." 

Veronica exchanged another look with her girlfriend before turning back to the redhead, sighing. 

"I spent the night at Betty's." 

"Noooo." Cheryl drew out sarcastically, to the eye rollings of the couple and scoffed. "I said why, besides the obvious, not where." 

That made Betty raise a curious eyebrow. 

"Toni didn't tell you?" 

"No, I haven't seen Toni all morning..." 

Cheryl took on a defensive look, frown growing on her features with the sudden suspect waves Veronica was sure were surging off of her and Betty. The redhead's posture was visibly stiffened as she glanced between them. 

"What's going on?" She demanded. 

"Last night after we left the bar, someone ran me and V off the road. It was too dark, but whoever it was had a knife that I doubt they would have been afraid to use if we hadn't hid out in the woods in time. They damaged my bike and then they took off." Betty was quick to answer, voice lowered and grave gaze intent on the redhead's. 

_"What?"_ Cheryl hissed at the blonde's retelling, visibly fuming as she looked them over. "Were you hurt?" There was a rare concerned tone in her voice to match her equally as caring expression. 

Veronica was quick to assure her. "We were fine, maybe a little shaken up." She affirmed, feeling Betty's hand squeeze in hers. 

"And pissed off." The Serpent tacked on, glowering at nothing in particular. 

Cheryl was clearly with her if her own stormy expression was anything to go by. 

"So, you weren't paranoid after all. You told FP, right?" The redhead fired off quickly.

After their hasty escape from Betty's trailer that morning, the girls having made the stop to the auto shop to drop off Betty's bike where they found FP— they told the man everything— he was _not_ happy. 

"At the old auto shop this morning. He was livid, along with Pea, Toni, and Fangs." Betty spoke flatly, though her blazing glare began wandering around the lot at random Northside teenage faces she didn't care to recognize as they scrutinized the two Serpents in black and red leather associating with the daughter of the man who was a top tier enemy the Southside. 

Most had the sense to turn away as they met her fiery blue eyed stared.

"As am I." Cheryl scowled, while pursing her lips and putting back on the cool mask. "I'll harvest my trademark hunting bow and arrows after school." She announced all too casually.

Veronica gave her a look. 

Betty dragged her gaze from her surroundings just in time to see the look cross her girlfriend's features and shook her head at the nonchalant redheaded girl on behalf of the brunette's exasperation. 

"That's not going to happen, Cheryl." She turned and shot down immediately. 

Despite the Serpent's reputation, FP was not always a man of careless action. 

Cheryl arched a single indignant incredulous eyebrow. "And pray tell, why not?" 

Betty shrugged and sighed. "FP said it was probably just a Ghoulie trying to scare us off because a few of them still think we had something to do with that Macky kid going missing." 

Macky was a born Ghoulie, a good kid a few years younger than all of them. He had a much better head on his shoulders than the rest of his savage gang and the rumors were that he wanted out, with the Ghoulies that meant being brutally beaten to the brink of death, so he had ditched town months ago. Of course, some Ghoulies had less trouble believing that than others.

It didn't go unnoticed by Veronica the flash of conflicting emotions that flickered across the blonde's features at her own spoken words as Cheryl fumed. 

"So, what? He just expects us to lie down and let this go?" She hissed in disbelief. 

"For now." Veronica eased. 

But Cheryl continued to look far from appeased. 

Betty didn't blame her.

"FP says he wants us to stick together for awhile, but he's convinced it was a one time thing and that there won't be another incident. He doesn't want to risk another all out conflict now that the Northside is quiet." She stared at her cousin promisingly. "If the _'Ghoulies'_ do try anything, you know we'll take care of it, Cheryl."

The statement did nothing good for Veronica, though it did seem to settle her best friend, so the brunette accepted it— just as something in Cheryl's expression ticked knowingly at her girlfriend. 

"You're not convinced it was our favorite rival gang of savages, are you?" 

Betty didn't hesitate with the disbelief that crossed her features. 

Veronica looked to the blonde as they met worried gazes, worried for each other, Betty had been telling her about her doubts earlier that morning. 

"Ghoulies _always_ attack in groups." The blonde explained to the redhead, imploring heatedly. "What possible reason would only one of them have in attacking a single Serpent and a half? It doesn't add up. It was almost like they were trying to make a point somehow." 

_Personal even_ , Betty thought to herself— aware 'Serpent and a half' would be a discussion for later as Veronica eyes burned into the side her head.

Then Cheryl spoke the idea neither of them were willing to. 

"Almost like it could have been the plotting of a certain local serial killer, you mean?" 

Veronica frowned. 

All sentiments of her girlfriend's seemingly off-hand comment vanished as the implication of the redhead's words hit her.

"We don't know that for sure." She argued. 

Cheryl scoffed. "Well, based on the fact that he's already killed one Vixen, I wouldn't call running one measly bike off the road highly improbable."

"And based on the fact that there's about a _dozen_ other threats here in Riverdale, Cheryl, I wouldn't start pointing fingers either." The brunette shot back just as heatedly. 

" _Guys_." Betty put an end to the argument, holding out a hand between each of the girls before her gaze moved to Cheryl. "Veronica's right."

"Of course she is." The redhead muttered, while Veronica smiled smugly. 

The best friend's shot scathing playful glares at one another as Betty shook her head, she would never truly never understand their friendship. 

"Hell, maybe FP's right and it was just one stupid Ghoulie." The blonde continued, shrugging in indifference. "Let's just find out who the Black Hood is first." 

It was a statement both Veronica and Cheryl could agree on, a solemn air hanging around all of them, only fractured when the school's warning bell ring could be heard chiming from inside the school and stampedes of loitering students began trudging pass them towards the sound. 

A number of sour-faced teacher's stood around the outside overlooking, probably to ensure they all got to class. 

Betty sighed and reluctantly stood from the bike she sat, oh how she wanted to race to go visit her bike in the shop— but leaving Veronica for the first time after last night's events made her hesitate. 

And the way the brunette suddenly clung to her hand only intensified the feeling. 

Veronica didn't want Betty to go either. 

"I should probably go before that bald guy over there tries to blind me with the glare off the sun." 

She tried a joke to lighten the moment, nodding her head to the building. 

Veronica followed the blonde's gaze to see Principle Weatherbee stood at the very top of the school steps, his arms tightly crossed. The man was not even bothering to hide the fact that he was glowering at the three of them intently, and more specifically Betty— per the snake on her back and the motorcycle parked behind her. 

In parallel to the blonde's words, the sun was shining rather brightly off his bald head that morning. 

Cheryl snorted and Veronica giggled.

It was short lived but Betty's features still lit up to the sound and ignoring her cousin's eye roll at her, tugged her beautifully giggling brunette back into her arms. Veronica held the blonde to her nose to nose, a hand going into her mane and fingers tracing up the sides of a fading bruise. 

The two knowing full well that while there were less onlookers, still onlookers nonetheless, traded lingering and loving goodbye kisses cheek for cheek.

All while Cheryl waited, impatient hand on hip. 

"Gee, it's a wonder the _International Space Station_ doesn't know about your relationship. Helen Keller has nothing on your father, Lodge."

The couple ignored her for staring into each other's eyes longingly until one of them gave in. One being Veronica. 

The brunette released a breath, while pulling out of the blonde's arms and at the same time wanting to pull her close. 

"Okay go, I will be fine." She ensured, lightly pushing her reluctant girlfriend back towards the old bike she detested and rose her eyebrows knowingly. "Check on your precious bike, I know you want to as you so clearly love that thing more than me." 

Betty scoffed, allowing the smaller girl to shove her as far as the forefront of the old bike before pointing a finger back at her. 

"Not a thing, a _she_."

_And I love nothing more than you_

It's what Betty didn't say aloud as she threw a leg over the front of a moldy bike seat, throwing the key into ignition. 

Veronica rolled her eyes at the blonde's lack of denial.

"God, I'm the side chick aren't I?" She muttered playfully, crossing her arms as she watched the Serpent climb onto her borrowed machinery, the brunette raising her voice over an out of shape engine as she had almost forgotten. "I'll see you tonight before the game, right babe?" 

Riverdale High's football game had been the talk of the school for weeks, one that she as co-head cheerleader was required to attend, ie regardless of any mysterious new threat in town that may or may not have run you off the road the night before. 

"I wouldn't miss it for my motorcycle back, not a _thousand_ of them." 

Betty gave a charming cheeky grin, her hands gripped to rusted bike handles. 

_Sweet talker_

It was a grin Veronica returned wholeheartedly as her brain translated the true meaning of the sweet blonde's words. "Bye B." She bid softly, teasingly pinching her girl's cheek before stepping back.

"Later V." The blonde returned just as lovingly before shortening as her gaze landed on the redhead beside her girlfriend. "She-devil." She tipped her head sarcastically. 

"Rebel Barbie." Cheryl retorted instantly. 

The only response she received was the annoyingly loud revving of Betty's motorbike, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke puffed from the exhaust as the bike drove jerked away at less than half-speed. Her agonized groans could even be heard from a distance. 

Veronica watched both amused and worried, mentally willing her love to be careful as she slowly disappeared down the road biting down on her lip. 

"That thing is truly horrendous." Cheryl coughed and came up beside her, again waving a hand in front of her face to waft the choking smoke. 

Veronica didn't respond, her stare still in the distance of where her brown eyes had last took in her Serpent girlfriend— so she was far too late to notice her best friend's eyes roll, or the fingers reaching out to pinch her skin. 

"Ouch!" The brunette spun then, rubbing her arm, still aching from her plunge and shot the other girl a look. "Really, Cheryl?" 

Cheryl's eyebrows simply raised accusingly as they both turned to walk into the school building. 

Abruptly, Veronica felt a chill at her neck and glanced over her shoulder— but there was no one around apart from a few straggling students. She hid a shiver and committed to ignore the feeling, instead focusing in on her best friend's teasing. 

"You were looking a little dreamy there, Lodge. I seem to recall you complaining about all the awkwardness between you and Archie when you didn't work out." 

Veronica rolled her eyes and dumped her coffee as the redhead tsked and ranted on, her voice lowering significantly as they pushed their way through a crowded school entrance side by side, creating a wide berth around their closely monitoring principle and sauntering the hallway to their lockers. 

"I _also_ recall you saying you would never get all 'gooey-eyed' over another post-pubescent teenage boy ever again because of it, stop me when I'm mistaken." 

Veronica sighed and turned to the redhead as she brought them to a stop at her locker. 

"Yes Cheryl, you're right, but alas Betty's a _girl_ , and as I think you would agree." She smirked. "Girls do it better." 

With that, the brunette turned her back on the redhead and began putting in her locker combination— she didn't have to turn to know Cheryl shared her views with a great smirk of her own.

"Accurate point." Cheryl then leveled the brunette with a serious stare, smirk diminishing as she leaned up against the locker next to her's. "I know you, Lodge. Are you really okay about last night?"

Veronica paused in gathering her books and took in a shaky breath as she faced the glamorous inside of her locker. 

The brunette had admittedly been very much afraid after the accident and the knowledge that the girl she loved did things like it all the time and continued to do so made worse of things. Veronica would never stomach the thought of Betty possibly getting hurt because she was in a gang, but she was determined to learn to accept and deal with it— the kind of life meant a lot to her love and it was one that she had willingly signed up for, Betty had no choice. 

The brunette glanced over her locker door and unwaveringly held the gaze of knowing in Cheryl's brown irises. 

"I get it, I'm new to the whole 'high-risk Southside life'." She quoted, drawing a snort from the redhead in front of her as she genuinely confessed. "I was terrified last night, and I still am, but not nearly as much as I thought I'd be...i-it's really Betty I'm more worried about." 

Her eyes drifted to the side and landed on an unattended blue set of lockers across the hall as she spoke and Cheryl frowned. 

Veronica had been hesitant all night and morning to broach the subject with her love. 

In spite of everything, the accident hadn't been her first near-death experience since moving to Riverdale— nor did she dare hope to believe it was Betty's, and she was grievously aware that _actual_ death wasn't a first of her girlfriend's either. Specifically of people close to her.

"I keep thinking what if she was more affected than she's letting on, considering her dad's motorcycle accident." 

"Motorcycle accident?"

The brunette's gaze returned to Cheryl in time to notice the usually fiery girl's eyebrows furrowed and tensed, Betty's dad had technically been her uncle after all. 

Veronica softened. 

"Well...I haven't brought it up to her yet-" 

"It's a sore subject for her." Cheryl's snapping cut her off all too quickly. "Thats including with everyone else." 

The redhead remained tensed, sounded defensive and a little peeved even. 

_Sore subject?_ Before Betty seemed so oddly blasé about it, as if the years since the accident had mended her. 

Veronica frowned. 

"Yeah...I noticed." She spoke slowly and eyed her best friend slightly warily, before resuming collecting her textbooks needed for class. 

Cheryl cleared her throat. "Anyways, I doubt lover girl was more concerned over old buried remains last night when it came to you. You _did_ stay the night, didn't you?" 

Her voice was too even. 

_'Old buried remains'_

There was a certain insensitivity to the words, that blasé essence again and maybe a hint of bitterness. 

Yet, she understandingly acknowledged Cheryl's dropping of the matter, she wouldn't want to talk about her dead uncle's passing either. 

Instead, the brunette let it go and blushed at the redhead's suggestive question, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. 

"We just didn't want to leave each other after what happened, we didn't do anything Cheryl." She gave the girl a look as she closed her locker door shut, weighted down by the newly acquired books she held. 

Cheryl scoffed. "Well, forgive me for assuming so with those diabetic looks you exchange." She smirked, all traces of oddities before having already disappeared from her tone. "You don't even look at Gucci that way, and don't think I don't remember those hickeys on your neck from yesterday." 

Hickeys, the evidence all of which Veronica had done well to cover with makeup that morning, unfortunately makeup couldn't cover up the increasing red on her cheeks. Blushing was not her thing, it was usually _her_ making guys blush— it was borderline embarrassing how much red heat the brunette had felt on her cheeks since the day she had met her girlfriend's blue irises across a dark Serpent bar on the Southside. 

"You don't get it, Cheryl. Betty is different. She's..." The brunette went mute thinking of ways to truly put what she felt for the blonde into words as the girls begin the slow walk to their shared first class. 

"Go on, go on, tell me more." 

Cheryl urged playfully while she slid an arm through her's. Veronica suspected she did actually understand due to Toni, having her own Serpent lover. 

"She's good to me." She blurted, which were the first words that came to her as she thought fondly of her blonde, fortunately the halls were near clear when she looked around. "She's protective and sweet to me, considerate and funny-" 

"This is _Betty Cooper_ we're still talking about?" Cheryl interrupted in faux disbelief but Veronica simply rolled her eyes, not allowing the girl to dissuade her as she continued. 

"Betty shows me a side to her that you guys don't see when we're all together, Cheryl, and I know she loves me just as much as I love her." 

The brunette smiled widely to herself, mind going back to their blissful time spent in bed that morning and the blonde's, as always, sweet words. 

"When we were lying in her bed this morning, half asleep I heard her whispering that if falling asleep and waking up next to me was all a dream she was having it was one that she never wanted to wake up from." 

It wasn't long after that and a few well placed kisses that Veronica had jumped her girlfriend's bones instantly. 

"Cliche." Cheryl commented drily, albeit relinquishing out an impressed nod after. "But it seems my cousin has a way with words after all." 

Veronica's smile morphed into a smirk, having enough of the redhead's teasing of her and her girlfriend, deciding to dish out her own. Unattainable delight filled her irises as she met the eyes of her best friend, the other girl's eyes having narrowed suspiciously, already onto her sudden look of mischief. 

"Oh, Betty definitely has a way with words, _and_ a way with her han-" 

Cheryl held up her hand, an expression of absolute disgust graced her features. 

" _Ew_. God, never mind. Stop. Tell me _less_." She dropped her arm, abruptly waving away any attempts of the brunette continuing which was made virtually impossible between her wholehearted laughter. 

The redhead began a quick pace ahead to class, promptly leaving the brunette to trail behind as Veronica giggled and the bell rung— decreeing them both officially late.

... 

Having not seen them since Monday morning, apart from the brief mandatory check-in texts, it came as a surprise to Veronica when neither set of her worrisome parents ambushed her the moment she, Kevin, and Cheryl stepped foot into the Pembrooke after school. 

They weren't even home. 

Glorious Nana Rose must have made a very convincing vouch on her behalf, a purified saint was what she was in Veronica's eyes. 

The trio had immediately set up to their usual routine, a tradition before football games that consisted of painting nails, gossip, and trying on their cheer uniforms in preparation for the 6:00pm game. 

Most importantly, it took Veronica's mind away from everything else— all her worries that came with the world introducing her to the love of her life, only to throw in dangerous rival gangs, a serial killer and god knows what else. 

_This is simplicity_

The brunette thought to herself with a small smile, delighting in the low music played from her stereo that hit her ears as Cheryl brushed purple paint across her nails. Both girls sat on the bed across from one another and Kevin laid on his stomach, swinging his long legs hanging off the side while sliding through a particularly steamy magazine titled 'Sexiest People'. 

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, I think I'm pregnant." 

Kevin let out a dramatic gasp, mid a riveting conversation between Veronica and Cheryl about a girl that got up in the middle of class to slap her cheating ex-boyfriend, effectively getting their attention

Cheryl released a snort. 

"The Sheriff will be none too pleased." 

Veronica giggled. 

Eyes remaining peeled to the page in front of him, Kevin paid no attention to either girl as he hastily slapped the magazine down in the middle of bed for the two girls to view, high eyebrows rose for emphasis and daring them to dispute. 

Veronica scoffed in disbelief as she and Cheryl leaned over to glimpse themselves, stretching her aching limbs to accommodate the boy's usual overactive hype. 

But what she saw genuinely had her own eyebrows raised and seriously reevaluating her opinion for Kevin's overreactions. 

The tanned young man captured on the page posed on a lawn of grass with one hand latched to a mower and the other wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead. He was naked from the waist up, showing off a sweat glistening eight-pack accompanied by a smolder that would impress even the divine. The mowing prop was of course redundant—with that amount of attractiveness, the man had clearly never worked for anything a day in his life. 

"Wow, look at those abs..." The brunette murmured, displaying her approval. 

And even Cheryl hummed in succession. 

Kevin's eyes were lit with excitement as he circled over the page number, favoriting it with the marker in his hand. 

"And those muscles." He smirked, finally drawing his eyes away from the magazine to look at both the girls and make promise. "He could mow my backyard _any day_." 

The trio burst into laughter. 

"I hope you know that Fangs will absolutely be hearing about this, Kevin." 

Cheryl rose an eyebrow at the boy playfully, while painting across Veronica's pinky finger as the brunette looked on in amusement of what would surely be an argument. 

Kevin's eyes narrowed challengingly at the redhead, and without even looking flipped the page of the magazine. 

"Mm, then I'll just have to tell Toni the few choice words you used after seeing _her_." 

The boy's finger landed on a before seen picture of a well-figured brunette woman equipped in tight fitting firefighting gear that accentuated her chest and bare stomach, partially covering up a pair of alluring legs that seemed to go on for miles was a long green hose held very suggestively in front of her. 

The page was circled as favorited too— certainly not by Kevin.

Cheryl's fingers paused over her nail painting glancing at the page all but once before clearing her throat and returning to her painting, a visible red to her cheeks. 

"I didn't know it was crime to support noticing strong and empowered women in uniform." She turned her nose up at the accusatory looks being sent her way and loudly finished her work, glass bottle snapping closed.

A poor defense. 

Veronica and Kevin share amused looks.

In all honesty, the former didn't blame her best friend. 

So, maybe she had gotten a little flustered herself the first time she'd seen the picture—even so, Veronica preferred _blondes_ anyway. 

"Support, really?" She smirked at the redhead while waving out her freshly painted tips, air drying them. "Was that what was on your mind when you said that thing you said about her 'hose'?" 

The brunette laughed, instantly joined by Kevin. 

"Whatever." Cheryl deadpanned, before the usual smirk set on her own features as she reached for the magazine and flipped the page. "You know, I think someone's forgetting about pages 8 through 9." 

Veronica stilled. 

Kevin laughed harder. 

"How about Mr. Auto Mechanic?" The redhead smugly pointed to the two circled numbers, the captured image taking up two pages. 

The young blonde man in the photograph leaned back against a nice looking car, handsome grin accompanied by the black grease smudge on his cheek. With a wrench in hand, shirtless and glistening, the thin flag embroidered mechanic overalls that hung low around his waist did very little to hide what was _underneath_.

"I don't think that car is the only thing he tuned up." 

"He had _someone's_ motor running that's for sure." 

Veronica rolled her eyes at the oh-so-hilarious duo, Kevin taking over at painting trademark red over Cheryl's nails next as the two laughed at her expense. 

The brunette simply rose an indignant eyebrow to cover her obvious guilt and flourishing flush. 

"So Cheryl can support empowered women and I can't support the hard-working blue collar male citizens of our country? Sounds like a double standard." She accused weakly. 

To her chagrin, it was Cheryl and Kevin's turn to share a look. 

"Blonde, likes cars and other hunky motor vehicles, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern..." Kevin hummed idly. 

Veronica could only imagine Betty's reaction between being irrationally jealous and annoyingly poking fun of her, the brunette thought fondly. 

Cheryl scoffed. "Then again, I think Betty would disagree, Kevin?" She casually questioned the boy working on her nails. 

"My thoughts exactly, _but_ since Betty's not here. Veronica?" 

Kevin didn't hesitate to play along, sly look unfaltering as he looked up to meet the brunette's annoyed gaze. 

"We just wanted to know what exactly it was about him that activated your engine." He gave her a very knowing look, as did the redhead at his side. 

Veronica rolled her eyes at her prying friends again, dry nails snatching the forgotten marker off her sheets before heaving a sigh and snatching up the magazine. 

"Well, if you two must know." The brunette plainly drew a circle from the peak uncovered glistening chest of the blonde on the page to the very visible bulging area of his overalls and grinned wickedly. "I think _here_ was a good starting point." 

Once again, the teens fell into a full on giggling fit. 

"Betty, nor Fangs or Toni hear a word of this." She mandated quickly, to which Cheryl and Kevin were quick to agree to as their laughter tapered off. 

While Kevin finished off Cheryl's long nails, the redhead air drying them, Veronica retrieving a bottle from her bed stand to began painting Kevin's clear. 

"God Cheryl, I don't know how you get anything done with those nails." She scoffed as Kevin spread his fingers out in front of her. 

"And by 'anything done', she means Toni." The boy corrected deviously. 

Cheryl scowled at them both. "Toni thinks I do just fine, _optimum_ even, thank you." She turned to Veronica and gave her a pointed look. "And you and Betty?" 

Veronica looked down at her nails, while not nearly as long as the redhead's and Betty's even shorter, she still recalled their morning together— not for the first time that day— optimum pleasure wasn't wrong. 

"Touché." She declared simply when she glanced up to her two friend's expectant looks, reluctant to give away any actual details of her and Betty's sex life and knowing Cheryl would be reluctant to hear about it unlike Kevin who was constantly asking for them.

Fortunately to delay any further sinister questioning the boy had opened his mouth to ask, it was right in time for the brunette's phone to chime with a familiar tone of a text. 

It was the only tone of text in her phone, Veronica set down the nail polish she half painted Kevin's nails with— ignoring his short protests— and reached for her phone at her bedside, instantly recognizing it accompanied by snake emoji and an embarrassing amount of hearts. 

She was already smiling before even reading the words of her love. 

**Betty-Bear: Home safe now? Please say u are? Btw, can't stop thinking about ur gorgeous face or how fucking lucky I am to be the one that gets to kiss it everyday. 6 'o clock is way too far, babe... :(**

The loving smile on the brunette's lips stretched even wider. 

There was a note of affection, flirting, and ever undertone of worry in the blonde's text— all of which Veronica could requite tenfold—one wouldn't think it had been mere hours since the couple had been each other's presence and maybe she really liked it that way. 

"Speak of the devil." Cheryl spoke drily, eyeing her deliberately. "Let me guess, my darling cousin now?" 

Kevin scoffed. "Oh honey, you know it is." 

Veronica didn't respond, barely heard their playful jibes as she ignored them to muse the words to text back— and then before she could, her phone was being snagged out of her palms by a set of wet half done clear nail polished fingers. 

"Kevin!"

"Betty-Bear? Seriously?" 

She shot the teasing boy shaking her device in his hand a glare that did her no good as he tossed it right into an awaiting Cheryl's smirking grasp, the redhead holding it out of her reach and eyeing the screen as the brunette powerlessly grabbed for her phone back and read the rest aloud. 

"Home safe now?...can't stop thinking about ur _gorgeous_ face...how fucking _lucky_ I am to be the one that gets to kiss it everyday. 6 is way too far-" 

Veronica huffed and snatched her phone back from the laughing redhead before she could finish reading the text but the damage was clearly already done as Kevin cooed, bringing a hand to his chest.

"That is the sweetest thing I've heard all day." He wiped a fake tear under his eye as he shook his head. "Who knew Betty was such a softy and romantic under all of those mysterious black clothes and volatile glares?" 

"I sure didn't." Cheryl drawled, blackmail material written all over her satisfied face as she leaned rather cozily back on the brunette's headboard. 

"You two are the worst." 

Veronica rolled her eyes at the forever teasing duo, muttering and blushing slightly as she casted an impassive look down at her girlfriend's contact. 

A picture Toni had secretly taken of her and Betty with her vintage camera outside of Fangs' trailer one rainy evening to hang out as he and Kevin took suspiciously long getting to the door. Their entire group was cropped out and left out her and Betty leaning up against the trailer, hair and clothes dripping wet, the blonde's arms wrapped around her middle to 'keep her warm' and Veronica's clung to them tightly. Both sporting stupid lovesick grins as they gazed at each other. 

Veronica had practically begged Toni to have it sent to her. 

The brunette stroked across the image of her love's smiling face with a lone finger and sighed as the more bleak thoughts came to her. 

"Betty's very romantic actually." She defended to her friend's unhesitatingly, though she couldn't help the small hitch in her voice. "It's just..." 

Cheryl and Kevin's sly looks turned to concern. 

"What?" Cheryl's eyebrows furrowed first. 

Veronica kept her eyes on the picture on her phone, those bright blue eyes that she sometimes thought she saw lingering shadows behind— hidden from her for reasons she feared to find out. 

"Sometimes it just feels like she's holding back, that there's some things she's not telling me." The brunette worried her lip and groaned of frustration as she let all of which was on her chest for weeks out. "Like there are these occasional quiet moments when we're in each other's company where I know in my heart, _sense_ that Betty's not being completely honest with me." 

She finally glanced up, weighing Cheryl and Kevin's equally as wary expressions. 

"Is that crazy?" 

Kevin's hand slowly reached out and consolingly lay over the one hovered over her phone. 

"Being the biggest Beronica stan in this room, I want to say yes, but as your friend I have to say those don't sound like good signs." He frowned. 

Veronica's heart plummeted, as did her already fallen expression. 

"No." Cheryl held up a red painted hand and shook her head. "Hold on Kevin, I wouldn't go that far." 

Being the usually brutally honest one, even in the scheme of her cousin, both Veronica and Kevin's eyes shot to the redhead in muted surprise. 

"I've obviously known Betty my entire life, I joined the Serpents three years ago, and one of the thousands of things that I've learned since then is that what you're feeling is completely normal." 

"Really?" Veronica's body began to relax and eyebrows raise in relief as her best friend continued. 

"It is. It's just how dating a Southside Serpent goes, especially when you aren't one yourself. Situations happen that they might not tell you about right away, but eventually _they do_." The redhead shrugged easily. "That's how I felt when I first started dating Toni, Kevin you didn't feel like that with Fangs?" 

The girl's eyes turn to Kevin, the boy looking a little lost in thought as he presumably recalled memories with his boyfriend then seemed to yield with a slowly nod. 

"Yeah actually, you know now that I think about it, Fangs was a little secretive in the beginning." He admitted. "Maybe Cheryl's right, maybe because of last night and everything thats been going on, Betty just hasn't found the right time."

"See?" Cheryl gave her a small comforting smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Veronica swallowed and nodded slowly along, wondering how she could feel so much better and not at the same time at her two closest friend's advice. She silently gestured for Kevin's hands and began to work on finishing his nails again. 

"You trust Betty, don't you?" 

After a tensioned beat, Kevin's voice sounded through the silence. 

She glanced up then and noted his genuine concerned frown and Cheryl's, albeit slightly suspicious one. 

_"Of course."_ The brunette stressed, sounding and feeling more sure of herself then when she spoke before. "Betty's my everything, and I-I'm just overreacting, I know she'll tell me whatever it is when she's ready." 

Her last sentence was less sure. 

It wasn't that Veronica didn't trust Betty. It was that Betty didn't seem to trust _her_ enough to tell her things and she couldn't deny that it didn't hurt a little— or beyond measure when she chose to think about it. 

"Just be patient and don't think about it too much, okay?" Cheryl advised her in that rare soft tone or hers that the brunette was almost certain only reserved for Toni and the extremely terrible situation. 

And with both her friend's looking her in the eyes, appearing genuine and caring enough, she could do little else but to hope they were right. 

"Thanks." She softly looked between them, then remembered eyes widening, muttering a few explicits under her breath and very quickly finishing off Kevin's nails before grabbing up her neglected phone and still seeing the read text there with no response. 

The brunette's fingers hastily ran along her screen to type out a response to her undoubtedly now worrying girlfriend. 

" _Veronica Lodge_ texting back right away?" Kevin let out a gasp as he began waving his nails.

Cheryl shook her head in sheer disappointment. "Desperate much?" 

_And back to the teasing_

Veronica made sure she shot off her text, assuring Betty she was home safe along with a possibly coy statement that if the Serpent missed her face so much then maybe she should do something about it, before she looked up at the two in amused disbelief. 

"Its been at least ten minutes, and even if it was right away Betty and I have been dating for almost a year, a little late to worry about looking desperate don't you think?" 

Cheryl and Kevin only shrug, and she scoffs. 

"Besides, not wanting to look desperate by texting back right away is only for the straights." 

Cheryl snorted. "And _you_ should know." 

Veronica groaned, everyday cursing her continual attraction to the male gender, precisely of the jackassery type.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"Can't relate. Bi People Problems." Kevin inserted. 

At the casual remark, Veronica's laughter was soon joined by the boy himself and then Cheryl until they were all laughing and forgetting all their problems. 

Thankfully, her parents weren't home. 

Which did nothing to explain the clambering noise that sounded outside of her window next, instantly cutting off all commotion of laughter inside the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really appreciating the kudos and support!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Daddy!"
> 
> "The Pee Man?"
> 
> "You were spying on me." 
> 
> "So, I'll ask again. Whose is it?" 
> 
> "V? What the hell happened? Are you okay?"

The trio's eyes snap to one another in alarm, all of them, even Veronica feared for half of two seconds that it could be the Black Hood or the knife-wielder she and Betty saw last night. 

_But in broad daylight?_

Veronica's instincts allowed herself to relax. 

There was only one ridiculous enough to do so and frequently utter the words 'screw your snobby neighbors'. 

She giggled out loud, gaining two worried looks from Cheryl and Kevin which she returned with an assuring look before springing from the side of her mattress and unhesitatingly striding towards her window, waiting under her friend's close watch. 

_Who else but her Romeo, of course?_

She shook her head, spotting a flash of blonde hoisting herself over the side of her home— it was all she saw before the very object of her affections was right there, pitching through her window and easily swooping her up with her.

"Betty!" 

Veronica let out a squeak at suddenly finding herself in her girlfriend's arms and her legs wrapped around the blonde's waist, feet off the floor where they once were. 

Betty doesn't see the two other occupants in the room, eyes only for the brunette cling to her as she dipped her head, pressed several kisses into her neck nestled and breathed the words onto the skin there. 

"Surprise?" 

Veronica shivered— she could hear the smug grin in the blonde's voice to match her own and just had to see it herself as she lifted the taller girl's face back to hers with a finger to her chin. 

"What are you doing here?" 

The brunette's dark tresses irksomely fell over both of them as she looked down, both girls cautioned around each other's bruises and aches— but somehow being each other's arms made the dull pain worth it. 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed, teasingly. 

"Well, I thought by your text that I was invited, but maybe I should go...?" She directed a thumb back to the window she climbed through, taking a step back and making to let the brunette down. 

Veronica was quick to grab her back, hands clenched to her shoulders and legs to her slim waist. 

" _Not_ a chance." She smirked, leaning her head against the blonde's. "Never said I wasn't overjoyed that you were..." 

Their lips met passionately. 

Moving eagerly. 

Heavily. 

Restless tongues fought against each other's at once and moans began drowning out the sounds of their lustfully hammering hearts until-

"Hellooo, still here." 

Gasping away from her favorite pastime, Betty nearly dropped the girl she was holding only saved by her yelping and gripping to the blonde's own limbs. Her head snapped over the brunette's shoulder and viewed the familiar redhead and gelled cut with not a strand out of place lounging on her girlfriend's bed. They waved slyly. 

_How could she have not noticed them?_

"Guys." 

Veronica's voice reprimanded as she saw them, sheepish but refusing to feel embarrassed. 

It made Betty look back down at the girl in her arms. 

_Oh right_

The blonde slowly let the brunette back down onto her two feet, still stood beside one another and earning a kiss on her cheek. 

She fought a blush as she greeted the smirking brats uncomfortably stiff and interlaced her fingers with Veronica's. 

"Cheryl, Kevin."

Cheryl only locked her impenetrable gaze on Veronica.

"Now weren't you supposed to let your mom know when Betty sneaks over from now on?" She taunted. 

Kevin rose a cunning eyebrow in tow. 

So, occasionally Veronica didn't let her mother know when Betty was coming over as she had originally committed to...it only for privacy reasons, completely between them. 

The couple exchanged a look, rolling their eyes before looking pack at the pair. 

"Aren't you two the representatives for sneaking around?" Betty stuck her hands in her pockets and jeered. 

Veronica hummed in agreement with her girlfriend and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, I'm sure Nana Rose and the Sheriff would be _very_ interested to know where Toni and Fangs spend their time four out of seven nights a week, it's certainly not in their trailers." 

"Very valid point." Kevin praised, already stood and toeing his shoes back on, swinging school bag over his shoulder. "We'll see you at the game." 

Cheryl rolled her eyes, stood and following the boy in tow as she eyed the couple from across the room. 

"Come on Kevin, I think the current teenage hormones in here are starting to make me suffocate anyway." 

"Will text us to make sure our gorgeous faces get home safe too, _Betty Bear?_ " Kevin's eyes didn't lose their amused glaze as he strolled towards the door and threw it open. 

Betty frowned in confusion.

Veronica sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Cheryl's smirk returned. "You are lucky to have us everyday after all, cousin...unless waiting for us to get home is just _way too far._ " She hinted slowly. 

And then Betty's jaw clenched in realization. 

"Ta, girls." The redhead then threw nonchalantly over her shoulder, she and the boy beside her looking all too pleased with themselves as they made their exit. 

As soon as the door was shut behind them, the Serpent spun on her guilty looking girlfriend accusingly.

"You know she's going to tell the rest of the group, right? They're never going to let me live that down." 

"You'll live." Veronica let out a light laugh, dragging the pouty blonde back over to her bed to sit her down and join her with eyebrows rose teasingly. "So, couldn't wait to see me until we were at the game huh?" 

"I wanted to check on you, kitty." 

Betty claimed protectively and promptly flopped on her stomach comfortably, playful smile on her lips as she played with the brunette's newly painted claw-like tips. 

Veronica snorted, leaning downward again to place another happily received kiss on her blonde's cheek. "Well, here I am." She retorted softly, climbing to straddle the middle of the Serpent's back and lay flat on arms loosely wrapping around her neck.

"Mmm...that feels so good..." Betty groaned at the comforting weight added to her sore injuries, _who needed pain killers when she had the most beautiful girl in the world to straddle her?_

Veronica smirked at her effect while admiring her lipstick stained to the blonde's pale cheek a second, before swiping her finger across to remove it and failing to notice Betty's eyes catching the title of the magazine laid on the bed inches from her face. 

"Sexiest People?" The blonde's head tilted as she took a closer look at the half- dressed mechanic guy on the pages, a carefully drawn circle made directedly to-

Eyes widening, Veronica quickly snatched the magazine up and out of reach, flipping it closed and tossing it carelessly across the room. 

"Its Kevin's." She blurted sheepishly as Betty turned to look at her bewilderedly over her shoulder. 

"O-kay..." 

Betty slowly let it go, although she had her suspicions, she smirked and leisurely turned on back so the straddling brunette was straddling her stomach instead.

"I wasn't interested anyway if you weren't in it." She muttered smoothly while placing her hands on the girl's hips and leaning upward to nip and suck at her ear. 

Veronica shook her head fondly at the blonde's antics, reluctantly pushing her back down to settle on the mattress as she remembered what had been on her mind all day. 

"Betty, you're okay after last night right? Honestly? The accident didn't bring up any...past memories for you?" She spoke soothingly, gently brushing a strand of hair out of her girlfriend's face. 

Betty's thoughts morphed into confusion, along with her expression before she recalled what she had told Veronica days before about her father and the motorcycle accident. 

"Veronica, _really_ when it comes to my dad, I'm okay, I promise." 

The blonde thought she assured so convincingly she almost convinced herself as she squeezed promisingly at her girl's waist. 

"And if I wasn't, I spend all my time with you anyway so you'd literally be the first to know babe, okay?" 

Veronica stared unwaveringly down into Betty's blue pools, wishing just for a moment she could just fall in and believe the words being sold to her. 

Luckily, Cheryl and Kevin's advice still echoed in her head.

_Just be patient and don't think about it too much, she'll tell you when she's ready_

She nodded. 

"Good." Betty's immediately eyes lit up as her smile stretched cheekily, already leaning toward her. "Now can I kiss you again?" 

Veronica met her half way, teasing lips hovered just over the blonde's. 

"I'll kick you out of my bed if you don't." 

And then once again, searing the girls lips crashed together moaning and touching—each content on making out until they had to be pried apart or until 6'o clock came, feeling safe and away from all harm and danger right where they were in that moment. 

Fate, unfortunately, didn't feel the same way.

The couple drew away with unison huffs as Betty's phone went off. To get to her pocket, the blonde's hand had to slip between their sandwiched bodies and Veronica whimpered needily.

" _Fuc_ -Betty! That is _not_ where your phone is." 

"Sorry, sorry, an accident." Betty apologized, her laughter transparently non-apologetic as she lay underneath the pent up brunette and found the message on her phone. "It's Cheryl. She says if I make you late to the game she's going to sideline both of us. Also, we have an hour before the game starts." 

Veronica groaned. 

"There goes my only transportation." She delicately stroked the blonde's face, caressing as she sighed and queried. "Going to give me a ride, stud?" 

"You know you don't ever have to ask." 

Betty affirmed with another kiss pressed to the brunette's lips, although she would dread arriving on the junk of a motorbike she was loaned, she would suck it up. 

A feat very easily done as she got to hear the moans of the girl on top of her as she continued her assault to her neck and lower and lower. 

That was until Veronica abruptly stopped her _yet again,_ using will power over her desires, unstraddling the blonde to stand from her bed and walk across the room to her vanity— ignoring the less than pleasurable groans that sounded behind her. 

"VVVV..." 

Betty's hands reach out, as if to pull the upside down form of her girlfriend back to her, to no avail she gave up to begrudgingly sit on the edge of the brunette's bed instead and watch her oddly fiddle with multiple glass tubes of identifiable makeup out on the desk in front of her. 

Veronica slowly turned around to walk back towards the blonde with concealer in hand, shaking her head at the growing confusion on the Serpent's face. 

"Before we go, you're going to help me cover up the rest of _these_." She informed and reached upward, one rub across the rest across her neck revealed the multitude of hickeys still left from the guilty blonde days before.

"Oh." Betty didn't bother to cover her disappointment even a little, and the brunette rolled her eyes before continuing. 

"So, that I can get into my cheer uniform." 

_"Oh?"_

Almost as instantly as the words left her mouth the blonde perked back up, her interest visibly peaked. 

"Uh huh." The brunette snorted as the eager Serpent quickly took the tube from her hand, pulling her back into her lap this time, on the very edge of the bed and getting a better view of her neck. 

The girl's grins at one another were contagious. 

"My absolute pleasure, V."   
  
...

Riverdale High football games were only something Betty would endure for Veronica— admittedly, one of many things— but outnumbered by nearly a hundred rowdy Northsiders to a few of her own had her sufficiently on edge. 

The blonde squinted against annoyingly harsh stadium lights and boisterous cheers as she briskly made her way back to her claimed spot up on the bleachers with hands full of goods from the concession stand, practically having to soldier through stand-around bodies to get to her destination. 

"Your favorite, m'lady." She finally slid onto the hard metal bench next to her smiling brown-eyed girl, grape purple snow cone slipping from her cold hands into the brunette's awaiting fingertips. 

"Thank you, baby." 

Veronica whispered gratefully into the blonde's ear as she rested her head on the Serpent's shoulder, tasting the colored ice as her eyes futility trailed the game going on the field. 

Betty bit into a single curly fry, her own eyes appreciatively taking the time out to not-so-subtly check out the bits and portions of her girlfriend's uniform— bits and portions she had had the gleeful opportunity to help put on, take off, and put back on just hours before.

As the brunette secretly stole one of the obviously distracted blonde's fries for herself, an uncomfortable prickling sensation rose to the back of Veronica's neck, emulating the sensation she felt outside of the school that morning, making her curl further into the tense Serpent's side. 

Betty knowingly met the brunette's alert gaze. "You feel it too now, don't you?" She shuffled closer, as close as she get to the other girl without having her on her lap. 

Veronica's irises staring back at the blonde said everything. Her many peers surrounding her was putting her on edge almost as much as they were Betty. Any one of them could be their roader from last night, someone watching them for reasons unbeknownst to the couple. 

And there was nothing they could do about it. 

The brunette sighed and simply took comfort in having her girlfriend next to her, putting aside her snow cone on the empty place next to her. 

"How are you liking your first Riverdale High game so far?" She shifted so that her chin rested on the blonde's shoulder instead, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Betty shrugged and turn her gaze out onto the field to the scoreboard, it was second half and the Riverdale High team was up by five. The blonde truly held no interest in the sport— her eye mistakenly caught Andrews, running across the field with the ball amid screams and getting tackled by one of the players on the opposing team— of course, football wasn't _all_ boring _._

She let a small smile tug at her lips as she looked down into the imploring eyes of the brunette rested against her. 

"Well, it's no Southside High game, you know without the fight crowds, or the crappy cardboard cut-out food, and shady guys offering you drugs and alcohol every poverty-stricken five minutes."

Veronica giggled. 

" _But_ since I haven't already had to punch anyone nor has the police shown up yet, I'd say it's alright." 

The blonde paused, curious gaze catching sight of the similarly dressed girls dancing down on the sidelines. 

At Southside High they hadn't had cheerleaders either. 

"There are definite better sights." She hummed absentmindedly. 

Not feeling Veronica's eyes burning into the side of her or lift her head from her shoulder before the brunette was cupping her jaw and turning her girlfriend's wandering gaze back to face her. 

_"Better sights?"_ She echoed vehemently. 

Suddenly looking into her love's intense brown eyes, Betty's blue eyes falter in realization. 

"Better _stadium_ _lights_." The blonde instantly rectified, albeit a little bit of nervous laughter. "Ours they...um, they flickered." 

"Right." 

Veronica voiced, only half amused and fully as unconvinced as her girlfriend sounded. 

"But my favorite sight is right next to me." 

Betty tried for flattery as she subtly slid her hand up the brunette's smooth and deliciously bare thigh, courtesy of her cheer skirt. 

The brunette's hand fell onto her's mid-way up, halting the blonde's charms, eyebrows furrowing mock questioningly. 

"So you _didn't_ mean the cheerleaders? Girls I socialize with everyday? _Those_ cheerleaders?" 

"Just _this_ cheerleader." Betty emphasized cheekily, ceased fingers tantalizingly tracing small circles onto tan skin as she scoffed in disbelief. "I mean, are there any other cheerleaders? I didn't even notice." 

Veronica rolled her eyes, failing at holding back her smile, but shaking her head as she batted the blonde's hand from her thigh and sneakily stole another fry from the basket between them. 

Betty matched the smile, relieved the brunette wasn't actually upset with her. It wasn't as if any other girl had anything on Veronica anyway. 

"I really mean it though." She took back the smaller girl's hand without even glancing around to see the eyes on them and squeezed meaningfully. "You are my favorite sight in this entire world V, there's no one else I would want stealing my fries and pretending she hasn't been this entire second half." 

Veronica's cheeks marred a blush, looking down and playing with her love's well-skilled fingers placed in her own. She had felt Betty's eyes on her for the first half of the game, it was all she could do to not let her thoughts stray to what her girlfriend had done to her beforehand and focus on the routine. 

"Well, you're mine too." The brunette bit her lip and looked up, glowing playfully. "And there's no one else I would want to pretend to be oblivious to me stealing their fries this whole time." She took another and bit into it with a satisfying crunch.

The girls giggled together then, Veronica pursuing a second fry and holding it to Betty's lips which the blonde happily ate— turning oblivious to the gazes and the white noise around them. 

Somewhere in the back of Betty's mind she heard her friends laughing their asses off at her for being so pathetically affectionate in public.

The sound of laughter increased. 

Or not in her mind. 

"Oh V, you are my favorite sight in this entire _universe_ I love you so much I'll never eat another fry again!" 

"You're so gorgeous and I'm such a dork, I can't count how fucking lucky I am to get to kiss you!" 

The two girls turned to see none other than Sweet Pea and Fangs guffawing rows up, as always, like the two annoying siblings Betty had been dealt with and never asked for. 

Of course.

The blonde rolled her eyes. 

"Fuck off, you assholes." She called up, hurling a number of curly fries at them and bypassing a few disgruntled Northsiders. 

As per his 'talent', Sweet Pea dodged and easily caught the others in his mouth— the same couldn't be said for Fangs, struggling with a single arm and being smacked in the middle of his forehead right on target. 

Betty smirked as Sweet Pea heartily pushed at the suddenly unamused boy's good shoulder. 

Veronica shook her head at the antics, unlike the blonde she found a small solace in the boys' extra presence amid her wariness of her surroundings. She stopped her girlfriend's hand from wasting any more of their fries and further angering her peers, glancing penetratingly back at the boys. 

"Shouldn't you two Greasers be off somewhere recreating the plot to 'The Outsiders', not harassing my girlfriend? Back off Ponyboy and Johnny." 

"Ooooh." Fangs howled. 

While Sweet Pea continued to be visibly impressed by the Northside girl. 

"Damn, princess." He smirked with a slight bow. 

Veronica winked, turning back around as Betty's arm came over her shoulder and lingering soft lips pressed passionately against her cheek. 

"You're amazing." The blonde whispered proudly into the grinning brunette's ear, sharing loving glances. 

The moment smooching noises sounded behind them, the Serpent reached her arm back and unceremoniously shoved the long legs distinctly belonging to Sweet Pea inward so the boy fell into the hard space between the bleacher seats, groaning. 

Betty took satisfaction in her girlfriend's laughter mixed with Fangs' and the taller boy's grumbling empty threats until the halftime buzzer sounded around the stadium. 

Down below the football players could be seen evacuating the field and the cheer squad assembling on it. 

"That's my cue." Veronica sighed and rested her head against the blonde's, as much as she loved cheerleading, feeling reluctant to leave her love's side. "A kiss for good luck?" Her eyebrows rose half-kiddingly. 

Betty knew the brunette was kidding, even as she eyed those lips hungrily. There were a great deal of spectators around, they were under revealing lights, and they were trying to be quiet about their relationship for both their sakes. 

So, they shouldn't. 

The blonde shouldn't allow it and Veronica's lips _really_ shouldn't be brushing up against hers just about then-

" _My god_ , we don't have time for this." 

The brunette was snatched away from her, snagged at the wrist and stood by a glaring Cheryl arriving down the bleachers with Toni's hand interlaced in her other. 

The couple groan simultaneously at the redhead's always extremely well-timed intrusions, despite her saving them on multiple occasions. 

"News flash, _kissing each other_? That's lesbian activity." Cheryl scoffed in disbelief as she glanced between the two of them. "Are you two even trying at this point?" 

"Honestly. Could you be any obviously gayer?" Toni rallied with her girlfriend as she gave a look of fake disappointment, moving to raid the blonde's basket of fries and toss a number into her smirking mouth. 

"Who's talking, Topaz? Is that a flannel _over_ a cheer skirt?" Betty retorted, snorting at the shorter Serpent as Cheryl exasperatedly led them off and she reached out to cradle the basket protectively to her chest.

Toni only smugly snatched another fry for good measure in passing. 

Veronica pouted as she passed. 

Betty could only wistfully watch as the brunette was led further and further away from her, and particularly her backside in the short skirt she wore. 

"Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave." She called out cornily, momentarily not giving a shit about their audience. 

Veronica tossed a tinkling laugh over her shoulder. 

Beautifully so.

The blonde brightened enough to ignore the boys and Cheryl's distant gagging in addition to Toni's backwards eye roll. 

Sweet Pea and Fangs clamber to either side of her without hesitation, the latter struggling to keep balance before she had grabbed his shoulder to aid him to his destination— remembering her own weeks long one arm struggle. 

"Didn't break the speed limit getting here, did you champ?" Sweet Pea smirked, amused dark pools meeting her's. 

Betty glared over, cursing the stupid old bike for the nth time that day. 

"You just sat in a snow cone." She retorted blissfully in place of a response. 

Sweet Pea frowned, for sure starting to feel the beginnings of wet seeping through his dark jeans in realization. " _Ugh_ , godammit!" He shouted, standing to wipe the ice from his ass.

Betty and Fang's laughter was only stopped short by the arrival of a sniggering Kevin.The taller boy sat beside his boyfriend, passing him a bottle of blue liquid Gatorade and keeping a red one for himself. 

"Thanks, babe. You're the best."

Fangs kissed him, full on the lips, and Betty felt a pang of longing. 

"I know you are, but what am I?" Kevin kissed the Serpent's nose in return, both of them with wide grins as they fell into a conversion of their own little world. 

"And _I'm_ the one that gets ragged on about my relationship?" She scoffed and turned to see Sweet Pea wiping off the remaining snow cone from himself and sitting back down to throw her a smirk. 

"Because you're the only one who gets embarrassed and pissed about it." He chuckled as her expression dropped, shoveling down hand fulls of her curly fries and pointing with the other hand. "See? Like that." 

With a begrudging sigh, Betty eventually surrended her fries. 

Which then turned into a game of who could get more fries into their mouths between her, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and even Kevin got into it. 

"Um, could you guys _not_ do that?"

They all stopped and turned several rows down surrounding by a group of what were clearly populars, the sharply asked question was voiced by some random Northside girl in chorus with an annoyed eye roll.

They all forced themselves to turn around without a word, Betty having to physically turn back around the glowering Sweet Pea. 

"Plastics." Kevin spat. 

Betty's jaw clenched.

And Sweet Pea growled. 

"Stuck up, b..." 

"Forget it, Pea." Fangs cut him off lowly.

The halftime performance was starting anyway. 

"We're Blue and Gold! We're Dynamite! We'll take you down and fight the fight..." 

Like that, the altercation was already forgotten.

At least for Betty it was. 

The blonde gulped as she watched the cheerleaders running, kicking, dancing, and flipping across the field chanting. 

"Hot cheerleaders, yeah?" Sweet Pea nudged her with a teasing nod. 

And Betty chose not to dignify the ribbing with a response. 

She barely heard it with her eyes drawn and glued, mesmerized by her cheering girl out on the field and _only_ Veronica as the brunette blew a kiss into the crowd the blonde was pleased to know was for her own personal use.

The time passed seemingly in stop motion before both the performance finished and the game had been won. 

Betty paid no attention to the happily celebrating and exiting crowd as she pulled out her buzzing phone, eyes having trailed the brunette with phone in hand leaving the field with her fellow cheerleaders. 

**My Queen V: Enjoy the show?**

She glanced up and spotted Veronica winking across the grass in her direction. 

**Betty-Bear: You are the sexiest thing that's ever happened to me, I'm going to hug you so hard when I get down there**

The girls smiled, locking eyes from the space between them. 

Another text came in.

**My Queen V: Come find me**

Betty's eyebrows rose as the brunette crooked a finger at her, devilish gleam in her eye before disappearing through bouncing football players and energetic cheerleaders all heading in one unbeknownst direction. 

Excitement and a small amount of anxiety burst out of the blonde as she blinked once and stood, bypassing Sweet Pea flirting up a clearly disinterested girl and Fangs and Kevin flirting up each other, it took her seconds to get down to the slowly emptying field.

She literally ran into a tired Toni, chugging down a Fanta. 

"Toni!" 

"Betty! What the hell?" The pink-haired girl immediately put down her drink and looked at her then hurriedly searched around in preparation. "Do we have trouble?" She rushed out.

Betty hastily shook her head. "No." She jerked a quick thumb the way of the disappearing team and group of cheerleaders. "Where are they all going?"

Toni's eyebrows furrowed. "...well the games over, so probably to the locker room to change." She spoke slowly and in skepticism. "You better be looking for your girlfriend blondie, or I can't be held responsible for what my girl does to you if you aren't..." 

"I am. Thanks, Topaz!" 

Betty didn't wait for the girl to finish already passing her in the busy path to the student locker rooms, jogging.

And then stopping dead in her tracks. 

Several feet ahead of the blonde, Veronica impatiently bit at her freshly painted nails when she got no response back from Betty, a nasty habit she was regrettably in the middle of thinking she might have picked up from her girlfriend when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. 

She eagerly turned, fully expecting to take in Betty and the sparking blue eyes that came with her— the brunette's smile dropped teeteringly when she was met with eyes aged and identical to her own instead. 

"Daddy!" Her gaze slightly widened as she took in the sight of her smiling father stood in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, seeing as I haven't seen you in two days since you've been so busy with your friends." 

Hiram chuckled, pulling her into a hug, albeit awkward with their already rocky relationship and all. 

Veronica's breath hitched as she caught the form of her love over her father's shoulder, the blonde stopped near directly behind him— Serpent jacket in full effect. 

So, the brunette stayed in her father's embrace just a little while longer as she gave a small panicked look at the Serpent and allowed Betty time to disappear off.

And disappear she did.

In seconds, the brunette found herself blinking in the empty spot her girlfriend had been before without even a little knowledge of where she went. 

Hiram pulled back, keeping his hands on her arms. 

"I left your mother at home and just thought I'd check up on my little girl doing her cheerleading thing tonight at the big game." 

"Dad." She sent him a look of disfavor. "You know you didn't have to." 

"Of course, I did." Hiram admonished her back, waving a hand and puffing up smugly. "You did well, just like I knew you would. The Lodge family excels in all we put our minds to after all." 

Veronica smiled tightly at the arrogant words. 

But her father continued.

"And you looked beautiful, although I'd prefer longer skirts. I'm going to have to talk to your principle about that..." He began frowning and glancing around as if to search out said man. 

"Dad." 

Veronica quickly placed her hands atop his shoulders to stop him, less he caught sight of Betty, or even Sweet Pea or Fangs in their Serpent jackets.

"Please don't, it's okay we have stuff under them remember? Cheer shorts?" 

Different town, same argument she recalled when she started cheering at Spence. 

"Uh huh." 

Hiram's expression remained unconvinced, no matter Veronica's mind was on much more vital things to care.

_Had he seen her and Betty in the stands earlier?_

"When did you get here?" She brought up far less casual than she felt. 

Hiram tilted his head at her oddly, giving a pause as the brunette swallowed. 

"Half time of course, right in time for your performance." 

Relief fell over Veronica in thick waves— but it was lined with a thin veil of caution. 

She knew her father. Or she thought she knew his manipulative tactics anyway. 

He wasn't exploding on her or threatening harm to Betty, so that was something.

"Great." She glanced longingly in the direction of the school before offering an act of a grimace. "I'm sorry, I'm _really_ glad you came dad, but I should go change before they close the locker rooms..." 

Hiram interrupted, easily shaking his head. 

"Say no more baby girl, I'll wait right here to this spot until you come out." He planted his dress shoes, appearing out of place on the muddy football field. 

The brunette internally groaned. 

"That's really not necessary, dad." She disputed evenly, assuringly. "I was just going to catch a ride home with Kevin anyway, he's around here somewhere." 

Veronica knew that Kevin would certain lessen suspicion. 

"The Sheriff's boy?" 

Her father's eyes narrowed anyway.

Or not.

"You're not sneaking off..." 

The brunette stiffened. 

"...to see Archie after this game, are you?" He crossed his arms and looked at her all knowingly. "I've seen how close you two have been close lately and-" 

"What?" Veronica's eyebrows furrowed to reflects her brain's confusion. "Dad, _no_. Archie and I are just good friends, and the team won so he's probably going to be at Pop's tonight. I'm coming home." 

She purposefully rambled. 

"I just wouldn't want you to wait while I'm getting changed and you know Cheryl has to give her big tirade speech to all the cheerleaders after tonight's performance, pl-" 

"Okay, I get it, I get it. I'll get out of your hair." Hiram held up his hands in surrender, mirth in his eyes as he leaned close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before drawing back to give her a stern stare. "Be home by eleven, young lady." 

"Yes, sir."

Her father nods once, giving her one last long unreadable look and then watched him sliver off.

The brunette sighed, feeling the tension leaving her body and instantly scouting for Betty through the flood of blonde other teenagers, she frowned. 

_Her_ blonde was entirely too good at hiding out. 

She tried to turn.

Warm arms wrapped around her from behind, keeping her in place. 

"Found you." The girl she was looking for hummed softly into the space of her neck.

Veronica's racing heart instantly calmed at the voice, fond smile playing wide on her lips. 

"Hey you." 

The brunette leaned back and covered the arms of the blonde, hugging her hard just like she said she would. 

"You didn't tell me your dad was going to be here." Betty mumbled. 

"Betty, _I_ didn't know my dad was going to be here." 

Veronica turned in the Serpent's arms to face her, securely grabbing onto the front of her jacket as the blonde went to try and pull away from her. 

"Fortunately, I don't think he saw us." 

Hands rested just above her girlfriend's backside, Betty quirked a curious eyebrow. "So, who does he think you're going home with?" 

Going home with her for a second night in a row had been out of the question— no matter how much each wished it. 

"Kevin." The brunette revealed, serious expression morphing into one of amusement as her teasing fingers crawled up worn leather. "Although, he did question me on whether or not this was all a ploy to go sneaking off with _Archie_ instead." She emphasized, unknowingly shivering. 

"Ugh." 

Betty grumbled at the very thought, in face of Veronica's amused giggles— the blonde began easily stripping off her skin, leaving her in just her black long sleeve t-shirt to drape the leather over her girlfriend's form instead. 

As if Veronica wouldn't be aware of her intentions.

Betty chewed down on her lower lip. 

"You seriously look mouthwatering in that uniform." 

The brunette scoffed as blue eyes reflected a mix of her lust, her love, and most imperatively her _possessiveness_ , as they skimmed her figure. 

"Is that why you're covering me up, babe?" She wondered, gaze knowingly. 

Betty immediately sputtered at the inquiry. 

"I-I only thought you might be cold." The blonde shrugged, while clearly irate for the boys she caught eyeing her girl up and rocked on her heels. "You know because it's cool and you're half-dressed in front of a bunch of always horny rejoicing high school students."

Veronica snorted, bringing the skittishly rocking taller girl back close by the material of her shirt. 

"Okay, dad." 

As expected, Betty was severely lost on the humor of the title. "...what?" 

"My dad just said the same thing." The brunette's eyes brightened in amusement as she had to fill in the gaps of her girlfriend's baffled retort, before pushing her lightly. "Not in the pervy way you just did though."

Veronica found herself bringing the jacket closer to her anyways and was instantly bathed in vanilla, purely because it belonged to her love and it wasn't as if she didn't wear it enough already— not because couldn't defend herself against a few horny guys hitting on her and there were certainly already enough dating rumors going around the school about her, Kevin, Cheryl, and Archie being involved with the Serpents— most guys had become scared to even approach. 

"I did not, I was...concerned." Betty eyebrows furrowed in equal parts indignant and pointless as the girl in front of her rolled her eyes. 

"Yeah, right." 

Veronica inclosed her arms lazily around the blonde's neck, eyes landing on a random group of lurking guys watching them and Kevin, Sweet Pea, and Fangs approaching the same way— the group of guys quickly scrambled.

The brunette scoffed. "You don't need to worry anyway, I think they're a little too afraid that I'll get my _very_ close Serpent 'friend' her gang of friends to beat them up for me if they try anything." She spoke playfully. 

Betty smirked down at her. "Well, they're not wrong."

"Damn right. We look out for each other." 

Fangs abruptly clapped his hand on the blonde's back, making her slightly jump. 

Sweet Pea was at his side, nodding and casually propping his elbow right on top of the already growing irritated Serpent girl's head. "Evening Princess." He greeted and then turned to look down at the glowering Betty. "Sap." 

Veronica laughed as Betty furiously shoved them both off her with a huff, making the girls bodies fall from one another's and leave behind an ignored but all too familiar dull feeling along in the process.

"Hooligans." Kevin took up his Fangs' side, shaking his head incredulously and grabbing his boyfriend's uncasted hand. "They've been like this the entire game." 

"Whatever, you can stand to loosen up a little by us, Keller. You're too stiff." 

Sweet Pea complained, hands already up in a veil attempt to muss at the other boy's hair no strand out of place do— he paused mid air though as Kevin shot him a deadly pointed glare. 

"Sweet Pea, I _will_ make you regret it. Don't test me." He warned darkly. 

The boy was very particular about his hair. 

Veronica winced, the very opposite of Betty's expression that reflected how impressed she was at Kevin making Sweet Pea of all people to think twice about something. 

"Don't test him." Fangs seconded when the taller Serpent sent him a questioning glance, in full awareness of what his boyfriend was capable of. 

Betty and Veronica only shook their heads. 

Sweet Pea slowly brung his hands away and up in surrender. 

Kevin nodded to him mutely. 

Fangs chuckled and finally turned on the Northside girl. 

"So, we saw your dad."

Veronica sighed. "Lovely." The self-depreciative sarcasm slipped bitterly through her tone. 

Betty frowned.

Suddenly, the brunette felt her girlfriend shift closer to her side and appreciatively slipped her arm through the blonde's holding to her. 

"For a dementor, he's shorter than I thought he'd be in person." Sweet Pea mused. 

Betty snorted, tearing her gaze off Veronica to look up at him. "That's because you're the giant skyscraper, man."

"Yeah, we're like the normal one-story buildings compared to you." Fangs added. 

Kevin tilts his head. "Then there's Toni and Cheryl...the shrubs." 

The five laugh. 

"Haha, as usual this group's unoriginal third grade sense of humor never ceases to amaze me." 

Cheryl arrived in their little circle, still in uniform dripping her everyday sarcasm and dry glare at the amused group. 

" _Speaking of_ amazing me." 

Sweet Pea chuckled and dug into his jacket, pulling out a can of unknown formula to spray on himself. A lot. 

As in way too much. 

Betty coughed, choking with Veronica and the rest in tow. 

The group's eyes watered all except the solitary responsible, too occupied with peering over their heads at the sets of cheerleaders exiting the locker rooms to notice their struggle. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Cheryl slapped annoyedly at the tall boy's shoulder. 

"Besides having just killed about eight trees." Veronica's nose wrinkled as she rose the collar of the blonde's leather over both her and Betty. 

"Seriously, dude." 

Fangs wafted the tainted air in his space as Kevin pinched his nose. 

"I feel like I just died and went to Aeropostale hell." The boy shivered. 

Sweet Pea only rolled his eyes at their reaction. 

And Betty groaned at his nonchalance. 

"You know that shit doesn't constitute as a shower, Pea."

"Or a decent personality." Cheryl tacked. 

"Ha-ha, I don't need one red, I have _the charm._ " Sweet Pea cut them all off, straightening to his full height and smoldering cockily. "And I'm about to make dreams come true, those girls are going to be begging for a night with the Pea Man." 

"No no no, Sweet Pea..." Veronica shook her head empathetically, practically feeling her girlfriend's body vibrating against her's. 

"What?" The boy's eyebrows shot down. 

"The _Pee Man?_ " 

Betty cracked up, with Fangs, the two all but leaning on each other for support as the others look on. 

Cheryl crossed her arms. "Literal third graders." She repeated boredly.

Realization, then irritation dawned on Sweet Pea's face before it was replaced by a glare at his two guffawing Serpent friends. 

"You know, someday those good looks are going to fade my friends and you're going to need my more experienced guidance." He growled. 

_"Someday?"_ Toni's snort announced her arrival, arms locking around Cheryl's waist as she smirked, the redhead pecking her cheek. 

It was the previously guffawing Betty and Fangs' turns to glare and leave a satisfied looking Sweet Pea.

Toni easily ignored the glares and rose her eyebrows at the group. "What are we talking about?"

"Just the Pee Man." Kevin supplied immediately. 

"Okay! I'm officially vetoing that nickname!" Sweet Pea shouted before anymore laughter could be produced at his expense. 

Cheryl snorted anyway. "You don't say." 

The tall boy ignored her.

"From now on, the ladies will call me the..." He scratched the back of his neck as he thought. "...the...uh, Sweet Man?"

"Wow." Fangs quipped.

"That's actually cute." Veronica offered helpfully. 

"Yeah Sweets, real _adorable_." Betty offered, less helpfully. 

While Toni hummed and pondered. 

"Mhm, I'm sure Kev has plenty of guys he can set you up with, Pea." 

The group fell victim to their laughter once more, barely even noticing Sweet Pea grumbling and stomping off. 

"Actually fuck every single one of you." 

As the six came down from their high, Veronica hit playfully against her girlfriend, the blonde instantly finding her eyes as they shared a private smile already so close their noses were touching. 

Until Kevin clapped his hands together, breaking them out of their trance.

"Ohh, you two are so in love! Southside and Northside queens together. The poetry practically writes itself." He gushed looking between the couple, the two would never admit they were blushing a little as their smiles widened.

"Poetic is right." Cheryl scoffed. "Original? Definitely not." She took a hold of Toni's hand and swung them up for emphasis as the pink-haired Serpent nodded in agreement. 

Veronica rolled her eyes in amusement. "It's not a competition, Cher. But even if it was, well..." She trailed off deliberately with a smirk to match Betty's own. 

"Calm down princess, you two have been dating for like a day." Toni retaliated. 

"Well, I've done far worse in a day." Betty flirtedly slyly, shrugging. 

Which instantly made Veronica's smirk transform into a grin, surging forward and placing a dawdling kiss on the blonde's cheek of future promises that lay far beyond cheek kisses. 

Betty reveled on both her girlfriend's touch and the fact that it got Choni to look partial parts amused and annoyed, she sighed contently.

"Oh and by the way Cheryl, Sweet Pea's getting away." 

The redhead whipped her head around at that scowling, the tall boy was heading in the way of the school and her cheerleading pupils with a big smug look on his face. 

"Sweet Pea!" She hissed, voice carrying volumes across the field and made most students flinch away. 

'It's Sweet Man!' Was the only thing that echoed back and visibly enhanced the girl's ferocity. 

Cheryl bulldozed after it with a displeased looking Toni hot on her heels, struggling to keep up with her girlfriend's rampaging pace. 

Only Betty, Veronica, Fangs, and Kevin were left to watch the whole thing go down in amusement. 

"Twenty bucks says he tells us he struck out within the next twenty minutes without Cheryl's interference." Fangs rose an eyebrow at the blonde next to him. 

_"Twenty minutes?"_ Betty looked at the shorter Serpent in disbelief. "You have too much faith in him. I say he strikes out within ten." She held her hand out.

"Bet." Fangs' hand slid out of Kevin's and into hers to shake in verbal contract. 

Kevin scoffed at them. "I'll take that bet." He followed, squeezing his boyfriend's hand. 

"So will I." Veronica nodded after a beat, delicately holding her own hand out to the Serpent boy.

He paused in surprise, glancing from her to Betty to her and back to Betty skeptically. Visibly knowing all too well how protective the girls were of each other, particularly Betty over Veronica. 

The brunette simply looked up at her girlfriend intentionally and the blonde looked back at her amused before raising challenging eyebrows at her hesitant friend. 

"Well? You heard her, put your money where your mouth is Fogarty." 

Fangs shrugged, finally placing his hand in Veronica's outstretched own. 

"Alright then. Assuring Betts here won't try and cripple the already invalid for robbing you, I'll look forward to taking your money too princess." He smirked at her and placed a stretched arm over Kevin's shoulders despite the couple's height difference. "I'll add it to my savings at home, Kevin and I are thinking about going on a little beach trip this summer." 

Kevin beamed and tenderly leaned into him. 

Veronica cooed at the interaction and Betty looked over at her fondly, the girl's unknowingly reading each other's minds and imagining a similar visual of their own. 

"Speaking of at _home_." The brunette continued, tone growing forlorn as she cast another her love's way, Kevin and Fangs exchanged their own looks noticing the sudden tension as she turned back on them. "I promised my dad that I would be home by eleven, so I really should go change. You guys will wait for me?" 

There was a subtle hint to her voice. 

"Of course we will." Kevin stood rooted to his spot with a smile, although he for sure got the hint. 

Fangs shook his head. "We'll be by the truck." He informed, dragging his reluctantly boyfriend away by the hand and toward the direction of the school parking lot to give them space. 

"Be safe, please." 

Betty immediately turned on the brunette once they were out of sight, arms wrapped at her girlfriend's waist and worrying her lower lip. 

Veronica wordlessly pulled the blonde into her doting embrace, burying her face into her chest. 

"Do you want me to wait until you get out?" Betty mirrored her actions, head nestled into the shorter girl's dark tresses. 

"Stop your worrying, babe. I'll be fine with Kevin and Fangs." The brunette pulled ever so slightly away and rest her hands on either side of the frowning Serpent's face, resisting the painstaking urge to press their lips together. "Just like I don't _you_ right? You'll be careful?" 

Betty had assured Veronica she would be riding back to the Southside with Toni and Cheryl at her flank, as well as Sweet Pea, assuming the likely chance that he didn't get lucky with any Northside cheerleaders that night. 

"I'm always careful." Betty retorted at the ready, cool and indifferent. 

And entirely too nonchalant for Veronica's peace of mind— the brunette raised a simple stern eyebrow at the blonde Serpent. 

Betty winced, before pursing her lips sheepishly. "But yes, I'll be careful." She added hastily. 

Veronica's fond smile spread. "I love you." 

"I love you too." 

Betty returned the loving smile in full, the brunette giving her a rather long arm squeeze before hesitantly parting with her to go change out of her uniform on the school. 

The blonde sighed, watching her girlfriend disappear from her line of sight and brooded. She could still technically wait around for Veronica, she did have to wait for Toni and Cheryl in the locker room doing god knows what after all. 

But the tingling sensation at the back of her neck made her think twice about that.

Betty twisted around on impulse. 

And stilled for the second time that night. 

She didn't expect to catch Hiram Lodge's intense cryptic eyes glaring into her from across the grass. 

The blonde swallowed, not succumbing to the chills that rolled down her spine and slowly turned back— feeling the man's intense gaze still burning into her. 

Betty did a quick glance down, no Serpent jacket and a long sleeve that covered her tattoo— even so, there was no chance the man didn't see _Veronica_ in her jacket. 

"Fuck." She hissed under her breath and hastily took out her phone to send the brunette a warning text, deciding she couldn't stay not even to wait for Cheryl and Toni. 

It was the end of the line if she and Veronica were to be caught in the vicinity of one another now. 

The blonde would text Fangs and Kevin for good measure as she weaved, zipped through thinning crowds of Northside students to get to the parking lot and evade the blaze from a distance. 

Quite a distance.

_Did Hiram even see his daughter's longer than necessary hugs and cheek kisses or lover-like glances with her?_

Above all else, he must have seen her standing around in a group with three of the members dressed in leather jackets with snakes embroidered on the back, one of which she was wearing herself.

Undoubtedly that was probably enough to start the man thinking, along with coming to his own personal terrible conclusions.

And Betty didn't doubt the outcome of those conclusions would be much worse. 

For either her girlfriend or herself. 

... 

Veronica sneaks into the Pembrooke a little passed eleven fifty. 

Wind and heat in her bones that had nothing to do with temperature. 

Betty had told her everything. 

It had taken her a good amount of time to convince the blonde over text and Kevin and Fangs, whom had driven her home, that she didn't need a calvary to ride inside with her— regardless of how reluctant she was to return home and not run back to the Southside, back into her girlfriend's arms. 

It taken an even longer time to convince herself. 

The brunette stepped cautiously into the foyer— the living room was dark, the fireplace was still going, but not a soul in sight. 

The wind and heat eased. 

Maybe she wouldn't have to face _him_ until morning after all. 

It was only as her foot quietly settled on the first landing of the stairwell to escape to the secure fortress of her room that the lamp her parents kept on the end table clicked and bared her in light. 

"You're late."

Veronica froze, a silent curse on her lips she wouldn't dare speak aloud. 

She should have known. 

Her father would never make things so easy for her. 

She slowly descended from the stairs and turned to brave her fate. 

Hiram casually sat in the arm chair closest to the door, still in the suit from earlier, he had one leg crossed over the other and a small glass of brown liquid undoubtedly alcohol idly swirling in his right hand.

His eyes bore into her illegibly for answers. 

Veronica inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry." She went with the simple response. 

A stale beat passed, then another, it felt like minutes between them before her father responded. 

"Why?" 

His voice was calm, too calm. 

The brunette shifted uncomfortably, glancing around the partially lit room until she met with his fervent gaze again. 

"I was with Kevin and one of his...friends. We were all talking at his truck at the football game and I lost track of time." 

It was only a half truth, they both knew. 

Hiram nodded slowly, passively, as he put his glass down. 

"I saw you tonight. With that Southside girl."

And there it was.

Veronica tensed. 

Her father's eyebrows furrowed wryly.

"What was her name again...?" 

It was then that Veronica realized the name was on the tip of his tongue, had been since Betty introduced herself that day in her bedroom. 

"Betty, was it?" Hiram mocked darkly, observing her closely as her jaw clenched. "No last name." He jeered the blonde's previous words. 

"You were _spying_ on me." 

There was no question— the brunette accused heatedly, glaring piercingly and fists clenched at her sides. 

"You are my _daughter_ , Veronica Lodge!" 

Hiram stood and burst, face an angry red as he finally lost his temper with her. 

Veronica didn't flinch as he roared his dictations. 

"I have a _right_ to spy on you, especially when I catch you with a Southside girl suspiciously surrounded by that nefarious gang!" 

"That doesn't give you any right! Betty is my friend!" She spat back. 

"Your _friend_ that socializes with Southside Serpents?" Her father hissed, towering close enough to tug at the Serpent jacket she had almost forgotten loosely hung from her shoulders. "What the hell is this?" 

Veronica stared unrepentantly up into the man's eyes, certain her silence was answer enough. 

She could practically feel the ferocity in her father's veins grow as he glowered back at her. 

"You had that girl in our _home_ Veronica, if I find out that not only is she a Serpent." His tone grew louder than before as he sneered in disgust. "...but that you two are-" 

"It's Cheryl's." 

The brunette promptly lied through her teeth to hastily stop that freight train of a conversation before it continued. 

Hiram's expression of fury did little changing, unlike his voice that lowered chillingly at her lie. 

"You know, I never liked that girl all that much." 

The feeling was greatly mutual, mainly because Cheryl was a Serpent and he was a literal fiend. 

Veronica didn't respond.

Didn't have to as the jacket that was rested on her shoulders was ripped off without warning. 

"Dad!" She reached for it with a panic, her unbending cascade cracking. 

Hiram ignored her protest, holding away the suspended leather as he lifted and inspected it with vacant eyes. 

He hummed and raised his eyebrows at her, then promptly walked over to the fireplace and dangled it dangerously over the crackling fire. 

"Dad, don't!" 

The brunette lunged forward and then forced her body to still all at once, hands over her mouth, afraid any sudden movement would provoke the man to complete his intentioned task. 

Hiram continued to continue as if he hadn't heard a word fall from her lips, gaze set on the fire and object in his hand. 

"From the very little I know about your friend, I know that she has an affinity for the color red. Car, lipstick, Serpent jacket, need I say more baby girl?" 

Her father turned to glance up at her from the fire, the flames shadowing half of his face creating a truly evil appearance. 

Veronica nearly shuddered. 

"So, I'll ask again." His eyes narrowed on her form. "Whose is it?" 

Her father must know that the Serpents would find a way to come after him for his actions. Even if he had the money and influence to convict them. 

Their jackets were sacred to them. 

Most importantly Betty's meant a hell of a lot to her, and in turn meant a hell of a lot to Veronica. 

And she would damned if she let her vile father destroy it. 

So, paternal card it was. 

The brunette's hands came down from her mouth trembling as she put her pride aside. 

"Please. _Please_ don't do this, daddy." She pleaded, giving him eyes she hadn't since she was a spoiled little girl begging for all and everything she wanted. 

Veronica was complied with silence. 

As if mirroring her, she saw something flicker her father's own eyes and for a split second the brunette thought she could recognize the man that had come prior to the one who put money and reputation before his family. 

Then Hiram exhaled sharply and his jaw clenched, Veronica's own breathing stopped short as his hand tightened his grip to her girlfriend's jacket. 

"Veronica, you _know_ the reputation that I am trying to maintain in this town, the plans that I have been trying to implement to make this town greater, and yet I find out my own daughter has been going behind my back gallivanting around here with _snakes_." Her father spat hatefully, shaking his head. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." 

The words held an amount of promise that Veronica scarcely believed he wouldn't do just that. 

But then the man stepped away from the fireplace and carried the jacket with him, and the brunette's mild relief overrid her fears of the future as he held out the leather for her taking. 

Her fingers had only barely curled around the material, not to let go anytime soon, when the jacket halted in her hands. She looked warily up at her father. 

Hiram leaned in close. 

"Return it to where it came from, immediately, and if I _ever_ catch you wearing it again..." 

Veronica swallowed. 

He didn't have to finish to put at her unease and her father knew that. 

Hiram nodded once, apparently satisfied with getting his demented point across and swiftly turned his back on her to return to his seat in the arm chair, picking up his glass and staring into into fire all too calmly as he drank.

Veronica wasted no time in storming up the stairs to her room, not caring if he heard her or her mother heard as she slammed the door behind her. 

The brunette's eyes burned with tears of frustration as she leaned her back against the door, the Serpent jacket balled into her hands and held securely to her chest for comfort.

The wild look in her father's eye did nothing to quell the ever present fears that been hanging over head since her and Betty had begun dating— nightmarish thoughts of Betty getting hurt, being condemned, or worse. 

By her own family's hands. 

_Betty_

She quickly whipped out her cell phone, heart stuttering as the screen lit up to the dark room with one missed call notification from her girlfriend and nothing more.

The brunette quickly sent off a text. 

**My Queen V: Home safe?**

The blonde had left without either Cheryl and Toni when she spotted her father at the school, alone, and with only few texts exchanged with Veronica that solely ertained to her father and _not_ the Serpent's safe whereabouts. 

It took Betty all of ten seconds to respond. 

They were the longest ten seconds Veronica had ever experienced. 

**Betty-Bear: Home safe, babe**

As if to confirm her text, the blonde had added two additional thumbs up. 

Veronica sighed in relief, burying her face in her hands as her shaky legs gave out and she slid down to the floor.

That was until phone buzzed with an incoming call she knew was from her love, the brunette sniffled and lifted her head as she answered. 

But regardless of how persistent she tried, the upset was clear in her voice. 

"Hey." 

_"Hey, babe."_

The somber passed over the line like agonizing static. 

A silence broken only by Veronica's watery laughter. 

"So, my dad just almost burned your precious jacket." 

_"What!?"_

Betty shouted, and there was unidentifiable shuffling across the line before the blonde urged. 

_"V? What the hell happened? Are you okay?"_

The worry that lie just under a fiercely protective tone was incontestable. 

Not the least bit concerning the jacket that mattered, which the blonde had known long before she even met her. 

And overall, there was _love_. 

Veronica felt her lips lift into a small genuine smile, sadness ebbing a little away as she realized no matter how challenging things might have just gotten for them— love would always be her and Betty's constant.

That was something her father could never challenge or take away.

The brunette let her head rest back against her door and sighed contently at the sound of her girlfriend's voice as she curled up on the floor. 

"I am now."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...just be careful with this girl, okay mija? Don't rush too fast into things."
> 
> "How did you learn to fight, babe?"
> 
> "Elizabeth." 
> 
> "You're playing with fire. That girl doesn't belong here, Betty, Hiram is a very dangerous man."
> 
> "Your father was also a Northsider, you know?" 
> 
> "Be careful with that girl, Betty."
> 
> "If he knows we're looking into this, we're going to be his next aim."
> 
> "Look, it's your story, your choice...but you shouldn't have lied to her, Betts."
> 
> "What the...?"
> 
> "I never forget a face, Betty."

"I'm going out. Bye, mom." 

Almost as hastily as Veronica had first rushed up the spiral stairs of her home long after school, swiftly passing her mother standing in the kitchen with a quick cheek kiss in hello, she had successfully attained the textbook needed from her bedroom and passed the befuddled woman in an attempt to leave right back out the front door she came from. 

Of course, her attempt went unsuccessful. 

"Pray tell to where, dear?"

Veronica stopped her in her tracks with her back turned to her mother, hesitating.

Betty was waiting outside for her. 

The two had already had a rather uneventful _eventful_ few couple of hours, resulting from their failed Black Hood questioning on the Southside. After the night before she had no clue how her mother would react to her spending so much time on the Southside, even if she knew about Betty. 

Oddly enough, her father wasn't home—not that Veronica cared at all— but after spending so much time away, she knew _both_ her parents would eventually start to interrogate her on her whereabouts. 

The brunette slowly turned to see her mother. 

Hermione now stood by the dining table, steaming cup of tea in one hand, the paper in the other—dark half-curious and fully demanding eyebrows rose to focus in on her daughter. 

Veronica readily held up her textbook for emphasis. "Betty's. To study." She answered simply and quickly, in hopes her mother would do the same in letting her go. 

"Mmm." Hermione hummed idly, then fixed her with a stare. "I heard you and your father arguing last night." 

Textbook clenching in her hands at the unwarranted memory, a tight fake smile flashed across her face. 

"Great." She bit out as she turned to leave out the door again. "Bye mom." 

"Not so fast, young lady." 

Her mother's, progressively more stern, voice halted her once more. 

The brunette turned, almost scowling. 

Hermione continued, looking at her sharply.

"You broke curfew last night. Not only that, but I haven't seen you since _Monday_." 

Veronica sucked in a frustrated breath, moaning in annoyance. 

"Mom, daddy already gave me the third degree on this." 

"And I heard." Her mother retorted, unyielding look still upon her features as she spoke. "Now, it's my turn. Sit." The woman nodded for her to join her at the dining stable. 

Veronica tried uselessly to direct a meaningful finger behind her to the closed door. 

"But, Betty-"

"Can wait." Hermione finished for her, taking a seat in wait. 

Veronica let out a sullen sigh while walking over and sat next to the woman, knowing full well she could never win against her mother. 

Hermione cleared her throat. "Besides honey, you didn't spend enough time there Monday night?" 

Veronica froze up and faltered the moment the unexpected words were rung into the air. Her mother stared down at her knowingly, no doubt having connected the dots as she knew she and Betty were dating, the brunette grimaced apologetically. 

Lying and screwing her father over she didn't mind, he did the same to everyone else after all— but inadvertently having caught her mom in the crossfires fused her guilt. 

"Mom...I-" 

Hermione held up a hand to stop her. 

"Breath Veronica, it's okay." 

"What?" 

Veronica's eyebrows knit themselves together in questioning, relief filling her at the same time as her skepticism. 

Hermione sighed, features becoming gentle. 

"Unlike your father, I don't blame you for wanting to spend all your time with Betty, I very much remember _first love_."

The brunette blushed silently and deeply as her mother smirked by her reaction. 

"I don't need to know." Hermione waved her hand before she could say anything, plainly amused. "Honestly honey, so as long as you don't come home with the words 'I'm pregnant', the birds and bees conversation is no longer anything either of us need to worry about." 

Veronica could tell her mother was actually relieved she didn't have to worry about Betty getting her pregnant. Even so, that could be the least of their problems if her father ever eventually found out about them. 

The brunette scoffed at her own thoughts, no longer delighting in the realms of her and Betty's relationship as her dull gaze fell flat to the table. 

"I think daddy would rather hear those words than that I'm dating a Southside Serpent." She murmured bitterly.

Her mother had already heard what happened last night after all. 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." 

Hermione's voice was full of motherly empathy and understanding as her hand pressed to her shoulder and softly squeezed. 

If anyone knew as well as Veronica did how ruthless and callous her father could be, it was obviously her.

"Thank you, mom." She glanced up and shot her mother a shakily soft smile, they both knew not just for excusing her absence but for supporting her relationship without qualms. 

Or at least _hardly_ any. 

Veronica felt herself gradually stiffen as her mother continued, expression gradually morphing stonier and stonier. 

"Now while I don't mind Betty, what I _do_ mind is my daughter not telling me the serious things surrounding her relationship with her girlfriend as was our deal when I allowed her to continue dating without the knowledge of her father." 

Veronica shifted nervously, thoughts racing back to the many things she might have omitted to the woman in front of her recently. 

"Mom?" She inquired uneasily after severely blanking. 

Hermione seemed to soften, the hand on her shoulder then shifting down to tap on her sleeveless arm— directly over top a single fading purplish mark. 

"Start with this bruise, it wasn't there two days ago." 

_Oh..._

Veronica swallowed. 

The bruise was of course from her and Betty's 'accident', the brunette had been fortunate enough to be able to hide all the other fading marks as small as they were up until then. 

"Well, w-we..." She twisted her fingers and exhaled, warily submitting to the truth under her mother's glare. "...Betty and I got into an accident." 

It was only half the truth, really. Her mother didn't need to know how she and Betty were actually ran off the road by a faceless stranger with a knife. 

_"What!?"_ Hermione frowned deeply anyway, bottomless worry filling her irises as she grasped the her fiddling hands over top the table. "Veronica, why didn't you tell me this?" She demanded.

Veronica quickly squeezed the distressing woman's hands back. "I didn't think it was a big deal. It happened Monday night and it was just a _little_ accident on Betty's motorcycle." She downplayed significantly as she shrugged. "There was a small bump in the street and Betty and I were thrown off, we landed in some grass on the side of the road." 

Her mother looked seriously doubtful.

But the brunette made sure her eyes shone assuringly. 

"But everything's okay. I'm okay and Betty's okay." She continued determinedly. "Just a few scrapes and bruises, I promise mom." 

There was a long silence. 

A mother-daughter stare off, calculating the truth of her statement. 

Eventually, Hermione released a weighty breath and nodded slowly. 

"Okay."

"Okay?" Veronica's eyebrows rose, trying to keep the surprise off her face. 

Her mother simply pulled her into her arms. 

"I trust you, honey. If you say it wasn't a big deal than it wasn't, I'm just very glad that you and Betty are okay." 

Another smidget of guilt ate her, but it was mostly taken over with relief as she enthusiastically returned the woman's embrace. 

After a moment, Hermione pulled back to point a strict finger at her. 

"You just tell Betty I said to watch the road from now on, she's carrying precious cargo." 

A warm smile spread across Veronica's face before it was blinked away, faltering slightly as more thoughts of the accident and Betty came back to her. 

"What's wrong, hon?" 

Hermione noticed, eyeing her new expression with concern.

"Did you know Betty's dad got into a motorcycle accident three years ago? He died, mom." 

The brunette judged her mother's expression closely, deciding she must have known Betty's father if she had been classmates with Alice. 

Hermione's smile fell from her own face, falling into a peculiar frown. 

"Well, that's terrible, sweetheart..." The woman responded slowly, linking her hands in her lap, promptly too cool and too guarded as she back in her chair. "What of it?" 

_What the hell?_

Veronica shook her head, eyes narrowing. Now she knew something was off and it wasn't just Betty and the rest of the gang that knew about it. 

But Betty would come to her when she was ready. 

"Nothing, never mind. Betty says she's okay about it anyway, I'm just worrying for nothing." She dropped it quickly before her words came across as irritated as she felt, the brunette stood and snatched up her forgotten textbook to look down at her mother impatiently. "Can I go now? I don't want to keep her waiting." 

Hermione stood alongside her. "Oh, sweetie..." The woman suddenly looked down at her, again with indecipherable concern and possible sympathy. 

Veronica shot out a pressing questioning look, head tilting to its side. 

"What is it, mom?"

Hermione opened her lips, closed them as if rethinking the answer, then very slowly placed her hands on the brunette's arms and finally spoke. 

"I like Betty, Veronica." She assured unnecessarily, Veronica already knew her mother liked Betty. "I know she treats you well, she loves you and vice versa..."

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed, her confusion growing as the woman prattled on. 

_But?_

"... _but_ just be careful with this girl, okay mija?" Her mother sighed, almost wearily. "Don't rush too fast into things without really getting to know the important details about one another." 

_Cryptic..._

Veronica internally scoffed. 

She and Betty already knew just about every important thing about each other, even if there were things her girlfriend seemed to be keeping from her— they couldn't be that significant— besides, how would her mother know about them? 

The brunette's mind settled on simple intuition and her mother's overprotective nature as she nodded if only to appease the woman. 

Hermione gave a small smile— a slightly sad one?— patting down her arms. 

"Good, then I'll see you _tonight_ , honey." 

Veronica didn't miss the emphasis on 'tonight', indicating her to be home and in by curfew. No staying the night at Betty's. 

The brunette nodded, sheepishly. 

"Tonight, mami." She confirmed, leaning forward and landing a kiss on the woman's cheek quickly bouncing out of the door before providing her mother yet another reason to get her to stay. 

Veronica was unaware of Hermione's worried gaze following her long after she closed the expensive wood door and disappeared behind it. 

...

The couple lie close on their stomachs in Betty's small bed, Veronica's textbook out in front of them but it was the Serpent who drifted off boredly after a few mere minutes of the brunette going over foreign algebraic problems with her. 

Chin casually propped in hand, the blonde found her eyes redirected to studying the view of her girlfriend's beautiful side profile instead— distinctly less boring than the words coming out of her even more beautiful mouth. 

"So then everything is combined in the complex numerator and back into single fractions, after that you divide it by the other fract..." 

Veronica's pen paused futilely racing the numbers on the page, her peripheral picking up her distracted girlfriend's gaze on her— as if the entire thing wasn't her idea in the first place and the blonde hadn't prevented the brunette from going to the library instead under the obviously false pretense of wanting to learn. 

She rolled her eyes, maintaining her amused watch down at her textbook and twirling her pen in hand as she voiced. 

"You know baby, for one to acquire a true understanding of a topic in algebra, one has to actually pay attention or at least _pretend_ to follow the pen solving problems." 

The brunette finally turned and met her girlfriend's sheepish gaze. 

Betty recovered quickly, grinning cheekily as she shifted closer on the mattress. 

"Why would one do that when they could just watch you? I'm way more skilled in that area anyway." 

Veronica decided to ignore her blush for an annoyed glance. 

"So, what I'm hearing is my girlfriend just pretended to be interested in algebra thus I wouldn't go to the library to study this afternoon and not be with her?" 

"I'm _very_ interested in you." Betty flirted unhesitantly in response, caressing a finger down her cheek and clearly having not heard anything else in the brunette's question. 

Again, Veronica fought off an embarrassingly girlish giggle at the action, instead relenting in calmly placing her pen down. 

It wasn't as if she put up much of a fight when Betty asked her to stay, in truth she would have probably dragged the Serpent to the library with her anyway. Knowing what her father had done after the game and watching them, it had only made the girls want to keep one another even closer within arms reach. 

If the brunette's own father could be a culprit, he couldn't be the only one waiting around the corner for any one of them in Riverdale. 

"That's not what I asked." She poked the blonde's nose playfully, smiling fondly as the girl went purposefully cross eyed at her actions. "You're a very bad listener, Ms. Cooper and if you were my student, I'd fail you in an instant." 

Betty scoffed in disbelief. 

"No teacher could fail me when they realized I couldn't possibly tear my eyes away from such a beautiful vision, for math no less."

"And what's that?" 

Betty pretended to think, tapping at her chin with one hand while the other sneakily wrapped around the brunette's waist.

"Well, the vision has gorgeous brown eyes, luscious dark hair, blush red lips, and a beautiful smile she can't possibly contain around me." She smirked cockily, pulling her girlfriend close. 

Veronica wrenched herself away with another thought in mind as she faked a gasp and eyed the blonde critically. 

"It's _Toni_ , isn't it? I knew it!" She accused dramatically. 

Betty snorted and laughed out loud, laughing until the brunette couldn't help but to drop her act and join in. 

"Casanova today, are we?" She giggled and allowed the blonde to pull her in as they calmed down. 

"I happen to know you love it." Betty challenged, smirk back in full effect as she knew it would annoy her girlfriend. 

Sure enough, Veronica stuck her tongue out childishly, only for the blonde to lean over and capture it in a quick kiss. 

Veronica hummed and pulled away first, pecking sweetly at her pouty Serpent's lips. "So, my mom asked me about one of my bruises." She sighed and showed her arm. 

Betty instantly frowned at the word 'bruises', vision narrowing down at the small discolored spot, dipping and kissing at it softly as the brunette ran her hands though her her hair affectionately. 

"What'd you tell her?" The blonde glanced up feigning pure curiosity, but if she were being honest with herself, a smidge terrified of the real answer. 

Veronica knew better, of course. 

Her girlfriend seemed to have a slight unwarranted fear of mother ever since the night the woman had caught her in her room— and she had to get revenge for Betty's cocky teasing of her somehow. 

"Oh, I just told her it was a hickey." She fabricated purposely nonchalant.

"What?" Betty yelped, _squeaked_ really, blue eyes wide as she looked down at the brunette nervously. "V, you didn't tell her it was from me, did you? You told her it was like from Archie, hell _Kevin_ , or something like that right?" 

"Betty!" 

Veronica gaped, swatting the blonde's arm in surprise. 

Betty seemed to falter in her panicking state, sheepishly clearing her throat. "I'm kidding, babe...sort of." She finished weakly. 

Veronica snorted.

"Uh huh." She bumped the blonde assuringly. "Actually, I told her the truth, well I said it was a small _accidental_ accident, I didn't say anything about...you know." 

"And was she mad?" 

Betty asked quietly, eyebrows rising pressingly as the brunette watched her amused and eventually answered. 

"No."

The blonde sighed relieved, entire body falling from its previous tensed state.

Veronica laughed as she effortlessly lifted her silly girlfriend's shirt, examining her side. 

"This is healing well." 

The brunette's fingers tenderly stroked the barely there bruise left from those idiot guys, she still felt her heart pump angrily at the thought— even harder as she traced over noticeably older scars. 

Betty laid a comforting hand over her girlfriend's on her side and squeezed, knowing where her mind had gone. 

Where it frequently went— worrying for her. 

Veronica's gaze flickered back up into blue.

"How did you learn to fight, babe?" She inquired softly, not unexpectantly. 

Betty knew Veronica knew she didn't exactly tell her everything, or really maybe _one_ thing in particular, but she didn't have to keep everything to secret. 

So the blonde took in a breath, deeply staring back into insistent brown irises and shrugging. 

"I grew up on the Southside. When you're kid with hardly any parental supervision and barely enough money to live from, you eventually kind of find your own ways..." 

**[ Flashback ]**

_"Guys, come on! We're going to get caught!"_

_Small twelve year old Fangs Fogarty's high-pitched voice shouted down the block as he ran the path to his three hidden friends._

_Annoyed eleven year old Betty Cooper yanked him down behind the array of bushes outside the ratty old illegal southside boxing gym. Ducked next to her, eleven year old Toni Topaz and fourteen year old Sweet Pea peered mesmerized through the clear glass windows showcasing the older kids punching and kicking each other._

_Others stood around the ring, dragging and passing cigarettes, laughing and cursing boisterously as they too watched the vicious match._

_"We will if you don't shut up, Fangs!"_

_Toni growled lowly, tiny fist punching her friend's arm as she rapidly gestured towards the establishments wide open doors where at any moment someone could hear them._

_"Ow!" Fangs yelped and huffed angrily. "But-"_

_Betty's hand slapped over his mouth._

_"Fangs, we're not going to get caught. Don't be such a wuss, dude." The small blonde admonished, eyebrows rising purposefully. "The code, remember?"_

_The boy rolled his eyes._

_"We're not even real Serpents." He spoke quieter as he push her hand off, looking between the three of them. "And FP said not to come around here, it's not for kids, what if he tells our parents?"_

_The question sunk in for all of them._

_Fangs' grandmother would whip his backside raw, Toni's uncle would definitely kick her out for the week, Sweet Pea would undoubtedly end up with another black eye from his dad, and Betty's parents would turn their trailer upside down and worse if they found out where she was—especially him._

_"Let's just go back." Fangs spoke again, breaking them out of their reveries as he tried to push them out from the bushes._

_Neither budged._

_Sweet Pea, who had since been distracted quietly looking through the window, turned with a heated glare and shook the younger boy off._

_"No way, dude!" He hissed quietly, still crouching. "If you want to go back, then you go back. I'm staying."_

_Betty crossed her arms, determined blue eyes hardening as she stared down the short boy. "Me too."_

_Screw her parents._

_"So am I." Tone piped in equally as stubbornly._

_Fangs glared back at them, standing. "Well, I'm leaving." He crossed his own arms and dramatically stomped his foot to the cracked pavement. "Good luck with your punishments!"_

_Betty groaned as she watched her friend turn his back and began to walk off. "Fangs!" She called quietly, but he kept stubbornly moving._

_The blonde then met the annoyed eyes of Toni then Sweet Pea, the older boy shaking his head before the three of them took off after their friend._

_Sweet Pea's hand landed on the boy's shoulder first, halting Fangs in his tracks as the girls caught up with his longer legs and skidded to a stop in front of him._

_"Look Fangs, we're not Serpents yet, but we will be someday and that means the code still applies." He nodded, vigorous in his persuasion. "We stick together. In unity there is strength, right?"_

_Betty and Toni nodded encouragingly alongside him._

_And really, it didn't take very long at all._

_Fangs simply looked between them and eventually sighed. "Okay, fine."_

_Sweet Pea celebrated, pumping his fist. "Yes! This is going to be so freaking awesome." He immediately rushed back to the window and ducked back to watch out of view of the kids inside._

_Toni mimicked him, just as eager._

_Fangs on the other followed, less enthusiastically._

_Until Betty rolled her eyes and slung an arm over his shoulder._

_"It's not even that bad, Fangy. We're just watching, not doing anything bad." She moved her hand in a playful spooky manner, causing the boy to crack a small smile as they crouched and she motioned toward the big window. "Look."_

_It had been just in time for the one teenage boy in the ring to take a swing at the other, gloved fist violently connecting with his opponent's face— a loud crack could be heard through the gym's opening before the opponent fell, not getting back up._

_The crowd went up in an uproar at the knock out._

_Fangs' eyes went wide with amazement, as well as the other three._

_"Woah." They all breathed at once, grinning faces practically plastered to the glass._

_Even with living on the Southside, it wasn't like anything any of them had seen before._

_The four all leaned closer to get a better look at the still unconscious body being dragged from the ring, but they could only get so close— unfortunately it was only after Toni leaned too close and lost her balance, falling right through the gym's doors and sliding across the waxed floor that they realized._

_"Toni!"_

_Betty, Fangs, and Sweet Pea hissed in unison as several heads turned on them._

_The three hastily reached out their hands to help pull the scrambling wide eyed girl back to her feet as the hurried footsteps were already upon them._

_"Run!"_

_Sweet Pea was first at hitting the pavement hard, Betty hot on his heels as they hightailed down the road as hard and fast as their racing legs attempted to take them back to their part of the Southside._

_Shouting and commotion behind them faltered their steps._

_"Hey!"_

_"Let us go!"_

_The eleven and fourteen year old looked back simultaneously to see two older boys laughing, each having grabbed Fangs and Toni by the back of their shirts as they squirmed angrily._

_Stopping completely catching their breaths, bent over at their waists with hands on knees, Betty and Sweet Pea shared one look before running back to rescue their friends._

_"Get off them, you bitches!"_

_Sweet Pea growled first, followed by the blonde's own growl as they neared the towering set of dark-haired boys._

_"Yeah, fuck off!"_

_Side by side the two held up their clenched fists at the ready, much to the older kid's amusement._

_"Awww...you two are just adorable." Dark-haired boy one chuckled darkly as he looked down at them, Toni still struggling in his firm grasp._

_The second dark-haired boy smirked whilst shaking a glowering Fangs. "What should we do with them?"_

_"I say we take them down to the old porta-potties out back and try and flush'em."_

_The first taunted._

_That was when Betty unexpectedly lashed out, kicking his shin. Hard._

_The boy dropped Toni, hissing in pain and surprise as the blonde with the freed pink-haired girl landed expert kicks to his balls and legs before he kneeled and fell over wounded._

_In their actions, the second boy had dropped Fangs flat on his backside angrily as he marched up to them._

_"What the hell!? You little brats!"_

_He roughly pushed Betty toppling over Toni, taking them both to the hard merciless ground with Fangs rushing to their side to help as he helped his friend stand._

_"Hey!"_

_Sweet Pea dashed in front, stood protectively in front of his fallen friends as the tallest and eldest member of their little group._

_"Pick on someone your own size." He spat fiercely at the two._

_In time for Betty, Fangs, and Toni's slow rise behind him, ignoring the pain in their bones and glaring just as fiercely in challenge._

_Taking the bait and clearly no longer amused, the older boys began making their approach only to be stopped by a strong authoritative voice ringing through the air._   
  
_"That's enough, boys."_

_The visibly humiliated angered boys seemed reluctant but immediately parted for the voice, revealing a man casually stood with a cane out in front of him— he was visibly older and muscular, dressed down to a white tank top and sweat shorts._

_"Children."_

_The man greeted with a nod and a disarming smile while waving the older boys back inside, an order they followed instantly._

_But the four kids still upheld their distrustful glares._

_"Who are you?" Sweet Pea questioned the new stranger strongly._

_"Why young man, I'm Mr. Oliver and I'm the owner of this fine illegal establishment."_

_Betty shrugged. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly._

_Mr. Oliver chuckled._

_"I saw you four trying to defend yourselves against my best fighters out here, you were very brave and I was very impressed."_

_"So?" Toni continued to press, suspiciously._

_Mr. Oliver rose his eyebrows temptingly._

_"So, I'll let you kids come into my gym sometime and box if you want. We'll teach you how to defend yourselves, get you all trained up and one day you can do what they do." He offered easily._

_Too easily._

_They all glanced through the window at the fighters, another match was taking place as the opponents took expert swings at one another. The offer was very tempting— no more being pushed around by anyone, not out on the streets or at home._

_"Why?" Fangs joined in to the interrogation._

_Mr. Oliver shrugged._

_"You get to let all that built-up aggression and you're just young enough that you'll bring me in more customers." He smirked. "What do you say?"_

_It sounded truthful enough..._

_Betty cocked her head and leaned close. "You won't tell our parents?" Her eyes narrowed._

_Mr. Oliver matched the blonde's narrowed eyes and also leaned close, glancing between them conspiringly. "It'll be our little secret. I'll even pay you a few matches."_

_That was all it took for Betty, Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs' faces to light up, looking at each other in child-like glee then glancing back at the biding man in front of them._

_"Deal!" They near shouted all at once._

_"Excellent." Mr. Oliver laughed and patted each of their excited heads before swiftly turning him and his cane back around. "Come along now, we'll get you all fitted for gloves."_

_The four kids were busy exchanging high-fives and large grins._

_"Told you guys this was going to be freaking awesome."_

_Sweet Pea whispered quietly as a part of the excited bunch._

_Betty couldn't help but to agree as they wrapped their arms along each other's shoulders, practically floated behind the boxing gym owner and into the doors that await them._

**[ Flashback End ]**

So it wasn't the most ethical of illegal gyms, and as it turned out 'freaking awesome' meant a couple of years of getting their asses kicked across the mat— it taught them all to defend themselves and be less afraid fighting against evils of the Southside. Boxing helped Betty cope with her aggression after _him_ , even after losing Jughead. She was paid when people placed bets, of course everyone always underestimated the lean blonde girl. 

Along with a little conning and pickpocketing here and there that she wasn't proud of and Veronica didn't need to know about— it helped her survived in the end. 

"On this side of town, it's eat or be eaten. All of us learn some time, V." She concluded the memory, blinking the fragments of her childhood away without detailing too much at all to focus back in on her girlfriend's still worried irises. "It's really not all that bad though, I even got paid a little while doing it."

Veronica simply shifted on the mattress, closing her eyes and resting her head against the understating blonde's. 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed as she tried comforting the brunette, pulling her even closer into her. "It's just the way it is, babe. It's mostly of the past."

It was hardly in past. She was a Serpent, if anything the violence had amped up. 

Only now the blonde knew how to defend herself and hadn't been to the boxing gym to let out any pent up aggression in months since she had met Veronica. 

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." The brunette gloomily stroked down her girlfriend's, thankfully unbruised or scarred bare arms. 

"No. I guess it doesn't." 

Betty sighed and pouted with her, before knocking their noses together playfully.

"Betty..." 

Veronica whined as she rolled her fluttering eyes open to admonish her girlfriend knowingly. 

The blonde ignored her to again knock their noses together, then pepper small kisses all over the area adding in her cheeks and nuzzling along her jaw. 

"Betty, I know what you're doing." 

As much as the brunette didn't want them to, she felt a smile begin to tug at her lips. 

"Oh yeah?" Betty's teasing eyes rose to her, not once stopping her ascension of quick ministrations. "What am I doing?" 

"You're trying to distract me." 

"No." The blonde tsked mockingly, finally stopping and very slowly pressing the brunette onto her back so she could hover over top. "I'm trying to make you feel better."

Veronica scoffed, though she still allowed her girlfriend to settle on top of her and glance down wiggling her eyebrows. 

"Let Betty-Bear make you feel better?"

The brunette burst into giggles, knowing just how much her girlfriend hated the nickname but was willing to use it for her, she cursed in defeat. "Dammit, Betty." 

Betty only grinned, knowing she'd won as she swooped down dropping a mere few normal kisses onto her love's lips and a multitude of weird ones that only caused Veronica to giggle even more breathlessly. 

"You're such a goofball." The brunette grabbed the blonde's face, stopping her with a warm shake of her head. "God, I should have known I'd never get any work done with you." She wasted no time pulling her love into a real kiss. 

The algebraic textbook and pen was simultaneously swept to the floor as the girl's laughter shifted to moans and whimpers.

Veronica pressed to the lips on her own feverishly as she flipped positions with her on top sighing out, Betty only moaned her high regard as her hands held tightly to the brunette's hips against hers to bring their fronts joint and grinding deliciously. 

"Ahem." 

A flat unexpected voice cleared. 

Both girls shot up with unison gasps, Veronica still pinned to Betty's lap— the brunette looked up at the open doorway flustered biting down on her lips, while the blonde with her back turned glanced virtually upside down to discover her mother stood in the doorway— features stoic and emotionlessly detached as usual.

She merely sighed in annoyance. 

Alice rose a single impassive eyebrow at her daughter. "Now, I guess I don't have to ask why you weren't answering your phone." 

Betty wanted to argue she'd assumed the woman would be out all evening, seeing as she was _every_ evening, and of course she chose that evening to come home per the tradition of being interrupted just as things began to get heated with the girl currently in her lap—instead the blonde bit her tongue and defended.

"We were studying." She excused shortly. 

"Hi." Veronica greeted well-manneredly, meek wave in tow.

Alice only regarded her with a mute stare, the brunette's greeting going ignored as the woman's gaze simply traveled to the floor at the fallen books and papers lying surrounding the bed. 

"I can see what you were studying." She countered sarcastically, glancing back up at the girls before directing a sharp nod to the door at the blonde in particular. "Elizabeth."

With that, the woman stepped out. 

Betty rolled eyes, murmuring at the command even as she slowly deposited the brunette on top of her back to the mattress. 

"Sir, yes sir." She scoffed for only her girlfriend to hear, and despite all of her concern Veronica had to bite down on her lip again to hold in a giggle leaning upward as the blonde stood. 

Betty gave a small smile, leaning down to accommodate the brunette's silent request with a soft peck. "I'll be right back." She promised, before making her towards the door. 

"K, babe." 

Veronica watched the blonde leave frowning as she busied herself with picking up her fallen school book and papers, the brunette had to contain herself from straining her ears to listen in on the mother-daughter conversation she had no doubt was going to be about her. 

Betty had firmly closed her bedroom door behind for that very reason, lowly groaning. She knew just as well that her girlfriend could hear through the trailer's thin walls anyway if she really wanted. 

The blonde's features took on a habitual hard facade as she met her mother around their small kitchen island, falling into an uncomfortable silence as she faced the blankly staring woman on the other side. 

She began. 

"Mom-" 

Alice bluntly interrupted. 

"You have lipstick on your lips, Betty."

Betty cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she quickly reached up to wipe Veronica's blush shaded lipstick from her mouth, only really smearing it.

Her mother simply rolled her eyes and pressed on. 

"Did she spend the night here?"

"Monday." The blonde muttered automatically, eyes shifting around the room restlessly in face of the woman. It was already pretty obvious she and Veronica were fooling around, so there was no denying it anyway. 

Alice exhaled, pinning a glare at her. "You're playing with fire." 

_Here we go again_

Betty's eyes closed in preparation for yet another warning tangent, and her mother didn't disappointment. 

"I'm only tolerating this Betty because I know that you won't stay away and if I ban that girl from around here, you'll just get yourself into more trouble for her creeping on the Northside." 

"Veronica." The blonde's eyes flew open in irritation. "Her name is _Veronica_ , mom." 

Alice's face somehow hardened even the more. "Oh I know full well what her name is. _Lodge_." 

Betty met her mother glare for glare, the older woman remained unfazed and carried on. 

"And that girl doesn't belong here, Betty."

Betty fought not to lose her cool as she glowered. 

" _Yes._ She does." She hissed low in hopes her girlfriend couldn't overhear in the next room. "Even if she doesn't, I don't care. I love her and I'll protect her." 

"And who is going to protect you?" Alice retorted hastily, not bothering to lower her own voice as she argued. "It's not just her that becomes a target to the Southsiders, Northsiders, and Ghoulies. It's the both of you." 

The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "I have the Serpents." 

Alice immediately scoffed. 

"What are they going to do for you when it comes to Hiram?" She urged knowingly. 

Betty quieted.

She knew of the people in her corner, the group included— even so, the girl was well aware FP and the rest of her Southside gang wouldn't be so inclined to stick by knowing the only reason Hiram Lodge was coming down on them was all in favor of dating a Northsider, his daughter no less. 

"Hiram is a very dangerous man. If she gets hurt, even if that man finds out that you two are together or whatever you are doing with her, I have no doubt that he will try and rain hell fire down on this place. If not this place then _you_ personally, then what?" 

A determined look crossed over the blonde's face as her mother's words set in. 

"I'll fight." She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the woman with a stubborn stare. "For her." 

Alice fixed her with the same look. "And you'll lose. For her." 

Betty's expression didn't change. 

Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. 

"Betty, there are plenty of Southside girls." 

If the blonde didn't know any better she'd say her mother was pleading, she knew better though. 

Her eyes narrowed.

"Maybe there are plenty of Southside girls, but there is only one _her_." She promised strongly. "Anyway, snooty Northsiders stopped scaring me years ago." 

Alice was silent a moment looking at her before voicing.

"Your father was also a Northsider, you know?" 

That did make Betty flinched.

The blonde didn't dare say a word as her gaze burned down onto the floor beneath her, her fists clenched to her arms, she could hear her mother's exhale.

"Hal-"

Betty's head abruptly whipped up, eyes flashing in warning. " _Stop_ , mom. Please. Stop." 

Alice's jaw clenched, huffing before rounding to her side of the island. "Just know what you're getting yourself into and be careful with that girl, Betty." She leaned close to her daughter, eyebrows rose expectantly in a rare form of semi-care. 

Betty could only nod simultaneously stiff and body relaxing as the conversation came to an end. "Yeah, thanks." She muttered uncommittedly. 

For a beat, her mother looked like she wanted to say more but then simply sighed and snatched up her keys where they rested on the kitchen counter. 

"I'll be back tomorrow night. I need a drink." The woman informed coldly, before brushing pass her towards the door. 

Betty rolled her eyes unsurprised and leant her back against the counter, watching her mother's back get as far away from her as she could. 

Alice swung open the door— only to reveal Cheryl, Sweet Pea, Toni, and Archie stood waiting on the trailer steps. 

The woman's look of disdain grew at the two redhead's in particular. 

"Wonderful, _more_ of you." She rounded back on her daughter with a wry glare. "One Lodge, and we're now Northside Central?" 

Betty merely shrugged, concealing her actual relief at the groups timely arrival. 

"Ms. Cooper." 

Archie awkwardly greeted the blonde's mother first, raising a hand and echoed half-heartedly by Toni and Sweet Pea, followed by Cheryl.

"Aunt Alice." The redhead's smile was more sardonic than genuine, hands rested upon hips, unlike the others. 

Alice sighed, only moving pass the four teens and taking her leave. 

Betty grabbed the door before it could close back, holding it open. 

"Sorry." She grumbled though her friends who were used to enduring her mother's behavior were less fazed, for Archie's sake. 

Archie gave her an easy smile as he was let first through the trailer. "Ah don't sweat it, Betty."

Toni shot her an amused glance next to enter, Cheryl in tow, the redhead was quite the opposite in shooting her a confusing glare. 

"Betts." Sweet Pea's hand hitting her shoulder distracted her from her cousin's odd affliction as last to walk pass, teasing her. "Since when did you start wearing lipstick?" 

Toni and Archie stifled laughs.

Betty cursed, _again_ wiping color from her evidently permanently stained lips, delighting that at least the annoying tall boy had dispelled the uncomfortable tension in the atmosphere. 

She still sent him a scathing glare anyway. 

Archie chuckled, hands tucking into his jeans as they stood around the living area, minus one. "So, where's Ronnie?" He inquired the blonde curiously. 

Toni snorted, answering him before Betty could. 

"Guess." 

No permission given, the short Serpent was already heading into the blonde's bedroom, with Cheryl and Sweet Pea behind her, like they had been a thousand times before though Archie hadn't. 

Betty shook her head, gesturing for the hesitant redhead to follow first as they entered into the cramped space of her room— clearly not meant for even six people.

Sweet Pea and Archie settled against the dresser. 

Cheryl and Toni simply stood around the bed. 

Fortunately, the blonde Serpent's mattress was fit for two. 

"Guys!" 

Veronica greeted her surprising friend's presence with a bright smile, relieved to have Betty back within arms reach as the blonde crawled to sit against the headboard and pulled the brunette between her legs so they could sit back to front. 

"Where's Fangs?" Her arms wrapped around her girlfriend's around her, backing into her warm embrace.

Cheryl snorted, echoing her girlfriend's from before. "Guess."

Veronica's eyes glazed on with amusement. "Same place as Kevin." She promptly answered her own inquiry at the reaction. 

"Those blow-offs." Sweet Pea grumbled darkly, arms crossed over his chest. 

The blatant irony was not lost on anyone in the room, especially the smirking Betty. 

"You're not wrong." She snickered.

Toni laughed. "Ha." 

The two Serpent's slapped hands, much to the annoyance of the eldest and the amusement of the other three occupants of the room. 

"Won't you grow up?" 

Veronica half turned to glance over her shoulder, eyes squinting as the pad of her thumb wiped the last smudge of her lipstick from the corner of her love's lips, smiling.

Betty squeezed her close. "But I don't want to." The blonde leaned down and whined playfully inside the giggling brunette's ear. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes, ignoring the display while turning. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sounded a bit jealous there, Pea." 

Sweet Pea scoffed. "Yeah right, Keller couldn't compete with me even _if_ I wanted Fangs." He paused seeing the growing humor on the rest of their faces and quickly rectified. "Which I don't."

"Right, right. Good save there, man." 

Archie clapped him on the back as he laughed, earning himself a deadly glare which resulted in the redhead hastily removing his hand. 

Betty chuckled, hearing her girlfriend's in unison before wisely changing the subject. "You guys find anything at Kevin's anyway or what?" She directed her inquiry at Cheryl and Toni, only for the former to shoot her another indecipherable lour. 

"Or what." 

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed, before she could question it Toni sighed and continued her girlfriend's line of explanation. 

"Me, Bombshell, and Kevin were rummaging around the Sheriff's home office for about five minutes before his car pulled into the drive way. We had to book it." 

Cheryl sighed annoyed. 

"Apparently, he took work off early for a late dentist appointment he coincidentally forgot to mention to Kevin." 

Sweet Pea's eyebrows rose. "So, he's onto us?"

Toni shook her head resolutely, the pink-haired girl's expression one of disbelief.

"I don't think so. Guys clueless, and I'd give my left kidney if he's the Black Hood."

Veronica's own expression lifted in substantial relief. "Great, so we can cross Sheriff Keller off the list."

Archie frowned. "But then that leaves..."

"Tall Boy." Cheryl finished for him. 

Betty looked to Sweet Pea. "Carson brothers?"

Sweet Pea on the other hand glared accusingly over at the boy beside him. 

"Nada." He scoffed. "Barely got through their trailer door before they kicked us out because they saw Andrews here with me. They didn't tell us anything."

Archie eyes went wide in disbelief. "That was only after you threatened to 'punch one of their lights out' for skimping out on the favor he owed you. _I_ tried to back you up." He argued in his own defense at the glowering Serpent. 

"I didn't need back up from some soft Northsider. Being seen hanging around you is already tainting my reputation around here." 

Sweet Pea, needless to say, was last coming to terms with the redhead's new continuous presence to the group. 

"Get over it, dude." Betty reached over and flicked him for everyone's sake, the boy jumping with a glare. 

If anyone should be last to come to terms it should be her, she glanced the redhead over, the guy had a crush on her girlfriend in the not-so distant past.

"What about you two?" Toni rose an eyebrow at the bedridden couple. 

Betty and Veronica exchanged looks.

Cheryl crossed her arms, looking at them accusingly. "And don't tell us you sat in here and made out all afternoon while the rest of us went out to actually find answers." 

Veronica snorted, finally answering for them both. 

"B and I went around the Whyte Wyrm and a few trailers in the trailer park for answers, Cheryl." She corrected.

"And?" Sweet Pea pressed impatiently. 

Betty sighed. 

"First off, the Carson brother's probably wouldn't tell you anything because Tall Boy's gone MIA again according to rumor around here." She grudgingly revealed the details of their venture.

True to their word, the couple had asked around the trailer park that afternoon— a harrowing experience— not everyone was eager to be questioned about a free serial killer or rumored hitman, no less by a Northsider, spawn of Hiram Lodge himself, and the 'treasonous' Serpent dating her. 

After having most trailer doors slammed in their faces left and right, the girls had come up with little to no new information. 

Tall Boy's absence in town came as no surprise to any of the group as it usually meant the man had likely gone to track down another rumored mark, a rumor no one dared challenge. 

Toni huffed. "Of course he is." 

Sweet Pea echoed the girl's huff with one of his own. "So what do we next? We have no Tall Boy and _still_ no way of knowing who the real Black Hood is." He growled in his obvious frustration. 

Silence. 

And then Archie shrugged. 

"Get the Sheriff involved." 

Five incredulous looks shot to the corner of the room. 

Sweet Pea's eyes narrowed fiercely, to the point of almost closed in the redhead's direction. 

"Are you kidding? Did we _not_ already talk about this with you?" 

Betty groaned, slapping a hand over her eyes. "You're alright, Andrews but you're still thinking with that naive Northsider mentality." She complained irritatedly. 

Cheryl's eyebrows furrowed in an instant at the ridiculed words. "Um, who else is feeling personally attacked?" 

Veronica rose her own eyebrows. " _I_ sure am." She gave a look back at the blonde. 

Betty rose the hand from her eyes guilty as she met her girlfriend's pointed stare, quickly rectifying her statement. 

"I just meant that whether the Sheriff is guilty as the Black Hood or not, he still doesn't trust us and we sure as hell don't trust him. If he knows we're looking into this, we're going to be his next aim."

Toni nodded in accordance. "And I'd prefer flannels to orange jumpsuits." 

Cheryl and Sweet Pea voiced their own agreements while Betty pressed her lips to the head of the girl between her legs to silently make up for her slip. 

Veronica hummed in acceptance momentarily leaning into the affection, her blonde already forgiven of course. "I have to agree anyway." She murmured, casting a remorseful expression away. "Sorry, Arch."

Archie only shook his head at them all, starting. "No, I don't mean exactly get the Sheriff involved." He shrugged nonchalantly. "...maybe we just need to obtain his evidence, everything he has on the Black Hood." 

Toni frowned in confusion, arms crossing tightly. "Weren't you just listening, Andrews? We just did that at his house."

Archie only pinned her with an intense stare. "Yeah, at his _house_..." He repeated slow and meaningfully. 

Then the group caught on.

Cheryl scoffed. "You don't mean-" 

Sweet Pea shot from his leaning positioning to stand towering in the small room. "This _police station_ shit again?" He barked at the redhead. "No fucking w-"

"We should do it."

Betty abruptly cut the older Serpent off, after having balanced their options.

Veronica looked at her in confusion over her shoulder, as did the other two girls, and even Archie. 

"You've got to be kidding me, Betts!" Sweet Pea disbelievingly shouted all of the group's thoughts. 

"What? What reason would they have to arrest us?" The blonde shrugged.

And only received blank stares in return. 

She sighed, yielding. 

"Okay, I mean what reasons would they have to arrest us that they actually _know_ about?" 

The group's expressions mellowed out in response. 

Sweet Pea ran his hands through his short hair. "This is a fucking terrible idea." 

Archie shot him an inquiring look. "Have a better one?" 

None came.

Toni gave in first. "Well, we can't all go." She looked around. 

Veronica shrugged. "We can rally Kevin." The brunette easily suggested. 

Cheryl tsked. "Yes, except the Sheriff's son roaming around the station would probably cause even more suspicious heads to turn." 

"Whatever, I'll go." 

Sweet Pea huffed, reluctantly volunteering himself.

Betty, Cheryl, and Toni share an amused glance, the joke considerably lost on Veronica and Archie. 

"That's laughable." Cheryl chuckled.

Toni too. "You can't be serious, dude." 

Betty snorted. 

"Pea, you have like seven open files out on you for physical assault." She interjected.

To which the boy released a dramatic breath of relief. 

"Oh right, thank god." He laughed, all hand to chest and eyes narrowed. "Also, _alleged_ physical assault. If you ask me, it was self-defense."

Cheryl scoffed sarcastically. "Yes, if you ask literally any of the dozens witnesses around, it was undeniable." 

The group laughed. 

"Well, Cher and I are out." Toni continued breezily, wrapping her hand into said redhead's and leaning into her side. "Not only does the Sheriff know us too well as Serpents, but we've been to his house a bunch of times and he still watches like we're going to steal his coffee table set away." 

"As if, oak coffee tables are so 1940's." Cheryl rolled her eyes.

Betty inwardly groaned. 

The police station was the last place she wanted to be—the blonde dreaded ever going back after her last couple of visits. 

"Alright, I'll go." She sighed.

Veronica tensed against her. "Then I'm coming with you." The brunette volunteered.

Betty shook her head. "He knows you well too, babe." She only found familiar determined dark eyes over her girlfriend's shoulder. 

"Yes, but unlike Cheryl and Toni, I'm not a Serpent." The brunette argued.

"Neither am I." Archie backed her.

"Hiram Lodge's daughter and Fred Andrews' son." Cheryl nodded her approval. "You're probably going to need a trusted Northsider, cousin." 

Veronica smirked back. "And who better than the only other ones you know." She reached upward and pinched her hesitant blonde's cheek. 

Betty gave in, swatting her hand away. 

"Fine, fine." The blonde's features lit up to reflect the brunette's as she rose two bent fingers to the air in the shape of snake fangs, glancing around her room. "All Serpents in favor."

Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Toni rose their fingers. 

While Veronica and Archie's eyebrows rose around questioningly. 

Betty pressed a light kiss to her girlfriend's neck. "Including the _honorary_ Serpents." She spoke into her ear, though loud enough for the short haired redhead across the room. 

Veronica pursed her lips to hide her grin, unhesitating in lifting her two fingers with Archie in tow— completing the covenant. 

"Honorary, huh?" 

"Why not?" Betty grinned and shrugged. 

The brunette allowed her own grin to break and took the blonde's chin, pulling the Serpent into a long sweet kiss. 

Toni fake gags. 

"Booo!" Sweet Pea groaned.

"Please get a room." Cheryl jeered. 

It was Archie only to look away in respect of the couple's privacy.

The girl's pulled away with mirroring beams.

Betty's blue eyes firmly took a moment to flash upward at their audience. "This _is_ my room in case you've forgotten." She reminded the four intruders.

Not that any of them were the least bit fazed— especially when the blonde's phone buzzed beside her, drawing away her glower to at the device with eyes lit up. 

Veronica's head tilted in both amusement and curiosity at whatever text had captured her girlfriend's attention. 

"Do you smile like that when _I_ text you?"

"She better." 

Cheryl's sharper than usual retort, while going unnoticed by her distracted Serpent, made the brunette shoot her best friend a look.

The redhead merely shrugged. 

"It's FP." 

Betty had answered, oblivious to it all, big grin stretched across her face as she displayed the text on her screen out in front of the girl in her arms. 

Toni frowned, shuddering. "Okay, now I'm truly disturbed." 

Sweet Pea's face scrunched up in his disgust. " _Gross_ , dude." 

Archie's eyes went wide. 

Betty scoffed, eyes remaining glued to her phone. "No dipshits, its not like that. Not you babe." The blonde added quickly, drawing a very pleased smile from the brunette and eye rolls from everyone else as she elaborated. "My bikes finally fixed."

"Oh yes, first best." 

It was Veronica's turn to roll her eyes in wake of reading over the lines of text that were indeed from the blonde's gang leader about her precious machinery. 

Betty finally tore her excited eyes away from the text and frowned. "Not true."

"Really?" Veronica questioned doubtfully, even as the blonde pulled her back against her and softly promised. 

"Of course not. She can be replaced, you can't." 

Betty's eyes pierced openly into the brunette's softening pools of liquid brown. 

Veronica swallowed.

The room filled with groans and she didn't care one bit as her heart was too busy melting into the floor.

Her nose brushed against her love, eyes closed for a brief second— before a brush of air, signifying Betty's disappearing resence. 

"But thank god she can." 

Veronica's eyes snapped wide open, witnessing the blonde's eyes back on her phone, fingers gliding across the screen in a hasty response. 

Her mouth dropped open and she pinched playfully at her tease of a girlfriend's as the Serpent laughed and snugly rested her chin on her shoulder, cutely nuzzling in apology. 

Which Veronica, of course, readily accepted and nuzzled back. 

"Cough, _sap_ , cough." 

Sweet coughed over his fist, which the couple smoothly ignored while Cheryl rolled her eyes.

"Picking her up at the grand old auto shop today, no doubt." The redhead droned.

Betty smirked over. "Oh, I'm picking her up right now." The blonde inspected the group and subjected those who could ride. "Who's taking the broken down motorbike back to the auto shop with me?" 

Like lightening, in a childish tradition Veronica admired with a giggle, the members brung fingers to their noses.

"Not it." Cheryl went first. 

Then Sweet Pea. "Not it." 

Even Archie. "Not it." 

And then Toni. 

"Not i- _bitch_." 

The pink-haired girl hissed, cursing her loss much to the amusement and laughter of everyone else in the room. 

Cheryl rubbed comfortingly at her girlfriend's shoulders, kissing her cheek as Toni slowly and reluctantly dragged out her motorcycle keys from her Serpent jacket. 

Betty grinned in victory, visibly annoying the shorter Serpent as she snatched the keys off her. 

"Thanks, Topaz. _Really_ appreciate it." 

Sweet Pea chuckled before turning to the redhead at his side, expression pinched in confusion. "Andrews, you know how to ride?"

Even Veronica tilted her head at the boy as he had touched his nose, lost on the apparent never been told skillset. 

Archie shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "My dad and I go out of town to the tracks some summers." His eyebrows rose knowingly at the three Serpents. "You all have the Yamaha Vmax models, right?"

_Right..._

Betty frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I'm oddly...impressed?"

Clearly, she wasn't the only one around the room.

Archie though, only chuckled at her kind-of-maybe compliment. "First time for everything." 

Betty shook her head, although the slightly impressed look was still written over her face. "Don't get used to it." She quickly shut down and was significantly annoyed when the redhead still looked on with mirth. 

Veronica shot the blonde a look over her shoulder. "Yama-huh now?"

Betty's annoyance instantly melted into a fond smile. 

While Sweet Pea groaned, evidently tired of standing and flopped his long torso half onto the foot of the blonde's mattress, stomach first. 

"Betty, your girlfriend is uncultured and you need to educate her." His voice was muffled by the sheets, but the offense was still all there. 

Betty and Veronica exchanged one look before the brunette reached behind her girlfriend and grasped her pillow, hitting into the tall boy's back with expert aim. 

Sweet Pea shot up quickly as the others laughed. 

"Hey! Ow!" 

He yelped, grabbing his own pillow as a defense and a terribly failed attempt at hitting the brunette back, which Betty blocked— resulting in the object to go accidentally flying into Cheryl instead. 

Cheryl's nails gripped, almost tearing into the seams as she was hit. "Oh, it's _on_." She quickly began her approach on her assailant.

"Got your back babe." 

Toni was visibly more than happy to join the redhead, grabbing onto a pillow of her own to charge the cowering boy into his little corner of Betty's bed.

Sweet Pea gulped and panickedly threw a pillow to the boy to his right. "Andrews, back me up!"

Archie still had mirth on his face while catching the object in his hand. "Oh, _now_ you need me to back you up." He retorted, purposely loud as prepared against the girls. 

The four slowly started their advance on one another like prey, soft pillows cocked and ready. 

Fingers linked and laughing, Veronica and Betty somehow crawled their way out of striking pillows and battle cries before they could be dragged into the cause, taking solitude to the outside of the blonde's bedroom. 

"Thank god my mom left." 

Betty crossed her arms and felt her girlfriend naturally clasp to her right one. 

The two leaned up against the doorframe, amused watching Archie and the literal gang members having a pillow fight, in true ten year old girl fashion. 

At the words, Veronica squeezed the Serpent's arm to have her look down at her with curious expression. 

"What _did_ your mom say earlier?" 

Betty shrugged in response, too casually. 

"Oh, the same old same old, she's glad we're together and she supports us a hundred percent despite us being on different sides blah, blah, blah." She shook her head. 

Veronica's gaze remained blankly humored as she stared down the blonde. 

"Lying not to upset me?" 

"Yes." Betty winced. 

The brunette giggled and leaned up to peck the wincing blonde. "Thank you." She said simply and turned her gaze back to the fighting children.

She could live without knowing that at least.

Betty's features lit up in relief, she practically bounced on her toes as she grabbed her leather from the hook by the door— not without stealing a quick kiss of her own from Veronica grinning. 

"Topaz, come on!" She quickly ducked her head back into the door to shout at the girl, narrowly dodging the pillow that went flying passed her head amongst the many circulating her room. 

Veronica stared unhappily at the blonde's back, realization of the Serpent's leave setting in. "You're really going to leave me here with these hooligans?" 

"Aw come here, baby." 

Betty turned at the tone and had her arms immediately encircling her girlfriend's waist tightly.

Veronica's arms went immediately around her neck. 

"I will be careful and you will be totally fine, just don't turn your back and remember to dodge and weave. All Sweet Pea's weak spots are in his knees." She whispered conspiringly, squeezing the amused brunette to her a moment before releasing her from her embrace. 

The blonde made her move towards the door, hand lightly slapping against her love's backside in passing. 

Veronica jumped, letting out a half-snort, half-scandalized gasp as she turned to face the smirking girl gaping. 

"Betty!" She yelped just as Toni came bounding out and hurrying her out of the door. 

"Don't burn my trailer down!" 

Betty shouted in retreat, deadly serious as she was dragged out— words the blonde always yelled whenever she left either Serpent unattended in her fragile home.

"No promises!" 

Came Sweet Pea's smart-mouthed response, and the same one she always received in return. 

Her eyes went to plead with her girlfriend's stood in the doorway. 

Veronica grinned. " _I_ promise." She merely nodded— before a lone pillow flew from the room and struck her in the face.

The brunette blinked in shock, glancing back at a smirking Cheryl.

"Lodge." The redhead rose two challenging eyebrows. 

The shock quickly diminished and Veronica smirked back. "Blossom, you _bitch_." She kissed Betty lastly, whispering for her to be careful, then bent, grabbing the fallen pillow at her feet and marching towards the room on a mission. 

Betty sighed, gaze bypassing a last second glare from her cousin just before she firmly closed the door shut, looking on regretfully at her home. 

Toni chuckled and patted her on the back, leading her, dragging her feet towards the line of motorcycles outside the trailer. 

"Come on blondie, your responsible girlfriend promised your trailer would still be standing when we get back. Let's go get that precious motorbike of yours." 

...

Betty and Toni waited outside the auto shop, leaning up against the garage, seeing through the large picture glass windows as FP and his guys were putting the finishing touches on the blonde's newly revamped bike from inside. 

In their wait, the two spoke quietly about meaningless things. 

Before Toni brought it up 'casually'. 

"So, Cheryl told me about the light little motorcycle accident story you gave Veronica about _you know who_. She's not happy about that."

Betty let out a scoff in realization, done around a round sucker in her mouth that the shorter Serpent next to her had spent the last five minutes sulking for the fact that it was her last. 

The blonde slowly brung her head up from its place against brick, staring emptily up at the clear sky to glance over at the pink-haired girl. 

"She's not subtle about it either. That explains the death glares she's been shooting me all afternoon, they weren't like the usual day-to-day ones." 

Toni snorted. "Yeah Bombshells frighteningly good at those." 

Her words implied fear, but the absolute goober of a smile that spread across her face at the mention of the redhead said otherwise. 

Betty shook her head in amusement and bumped the girl's side, snapping her out of her obvious daydream.

"Maybe only to your whipped ass." 

Truthfully, while the rest of the group had grown immune to Cheryl's glares on a daily basis— her cousin's precious _chèri_ was very rarely on the receiving end of any of them. 

Toni scoffed. "Whatever, blondie." She didn't deny it, just blew a bubble with the stick of bazooka gum Betty had all to offer her in place of a sucker. "It's a good thing your girl is too lost in you to notice certain shit or else the princess would have figured it all out long ago."

All of Betty's amusement fled as those words sunk in, fused with her consistent guilt. 

The blonde moodily shoved her hands in her pockets and looked away, though she could still see the look her friend was giving her from the corner of her eye. 

"You think I should tell her too, right? Like everyone else?" She bit out, features hardened. 

Toni shrugged. 

"Look, it's your story, your choice." She grimaced. "But you shouldn't have lied to her, Betts."

The pink-haired had used an actual form of her name. Betty knew she was serious.

Betty turned back and met her eye, visibly softening up. 

"I really didn't mean to, Toni." She admitted quietly genuine.

Betty knew now that she was complete and utterly screwed. Veronica was going to hate and she was going to lose her and then she would be left alone _again_ because she was too weak. 

The blonde took no notice that she had begun slightly hyperventilating, teeth clenched down on her sucker, breathing picking up as Toni called a name to her deaf ears— it wasn't until the girl's hands squeezed tightly at her shoulders that blue irises blinked and unblurred the form of her friend stood in front of her with a concerned gaze. 

"Hey, alright Ponytail, take it easy." 

And Betty did, taking in a few much needed breaths and leaning further back into the wall behind her before she calmed, closing her eyes. 

Toni's voice was assuring, but familiar in her ears as she continued. 

"Veronica loves you, I've seen the way she looks at you and it's honestly creepy, so there's no way she isn't going to forgive you, okay?" 

Betty wasn't nearly as confident.

In any regard. 

But the blonde gave a short nod, making sure to open up her eyes with the appearance of so.

Toni didn't look entirely too convinced, knowing her too well, but her expression seemed to let it go— Betty guessed it was probably due to suddenly shaking in her pants.

"Good, because _I_ won't forgive you if I have to spend another minute out here talking sense into you and not inside peeing." The shorter Serpent quipped, letting the blonde's shoulders go with hesitantly rose eyebrows. "You're good?"

Quirking a half-amused look, Betty wanted to stall merely to aggravate her friend as she usually would— but the majority of her mind was elsewhere, so she simply nodded and waved her away.

Toni seriously made it across the distance like rode runner to get to the shop with the bathroom, Betty had never seen her run so fast yet she still yelled for the hell of it.

"Hurry up, Antoinette!"

"Patience is a virtue, Elizabeth!" Came the fading response.

Betty snorted, but her heart wasn't in it. 

She glanced again in the distance through the garage windows at her polished soon-to-be restored ride and found she was no longer as eager. 

"You won't ever judge me will you, girl?" 

The blonde then huffed at talking to herself, looking back up at the sky while scraping at the ground with her already scuffed boots.

Minutes, which seemed like hours, passed resisting on anxiously biting at her nails and thinking of Veronica. 

Gaze growing tired of pointlessly staring into space, eye-line drifting towards the sound of echoing footsteps off the pavement, she froze. 

In utter bewilderment, Betty caught sight of Hiram Lodge walking his way down the lot. 

"What the...?"

The blonde nearly dropped the now candy-less white stick protruding out of her mouth for hastily ducking her head low. 

The man hadn't seen her, or so she thought. 

Blue eyes instinctively scanned for an escape rout, swearing under her breath.

Her bike wasn't finished, nor did she have backup.

There were other lingerers around the outside of the shop, some Southsiders glaring in alarm but most glaring in anger as Hiram strolled through their territory as if he owned the place and no one could touch him money— which they couldn't. 

There was no car, no anything signaling the man's arrival, for all she supposed the fucking stalker had just popped up out of nowhere. 

And it only took seconds for his eyes to eventually lock on hers, as if she had been his target all along and Betty snapped her head away quickly pivoting and journeying the opposite way, no destination in mind but with the single purpose to stay far the hell away from her girlfriend's rich demon father before either of them did any damage.

"Woah hey! Where's the fire, kid?" 

A voice called behind her along with the slightly hurried footsteps, causing the blonde to falter in her own retreating ones.

It seemed Hiram didn't have the same plan in mind. 

So, Betty stopped then slowly turned on her heel and came face to face with Hiram Lodge for only her second time in life— twice too many— she took in the man stood in front of her, same huge predator like smile on his face like the first time, his eyes practically twinkling on the verge of danger. 

"You are...?" She rose an eyebrow and remained expressionless in an attempt to play dumb.   
  
"Oh come on, you remember me." 

Hiram merely chuckled, waving his hand in the air as if the blonde had told him some sort of joke. The man took a threatening step towards her, maniacal grin still spreading as he spoke. 

"See you were at my house with my daughter the other week, _and_ the game last night, then later in the evening Veronica was caught wearing that very _same_ Serpent jacket you have on right now."

Betty's jaw clenched.

And only then did Hiram's grinning facade slowly drop into chillingly grim features. 

"I never forget a face, Betty."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is the end of the line for your little trysts with my daughter." 
> 
> "I'll cut a deal with you." 
> 
> "You and your ragtag friends stay away from Veronica and I'll stay away from you." 
> 
> "She doesn't belong with you and I will make sure of that, whether she likes it or not."
> 
> "Shit...it's still standing at least."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter.
> 
> No Veronica.

"Good to know."

Betty gave a simple stiff nod, clenched hands tucked back into her jacket as she spun on her heel to keep walking. 

The continuing sound of Hiram's steely voice doesn't let her get very far. 

"Betty, right? _Cooper_."

The blonde stills with her back turned to the man at the assertion of her last name.

"Veronica was very reluctant to inform me that her new friend was a Southside Serpent, or maybe friend is an improper term, _girlfriend_ perhaps?" 

Betty tensed, teeth clenched once more over the paper stick between her lips. 

She turned back.

Hiram looked irately pleased. 

"I have my sources." He casually answered to her narrowed eyed stare.

The blonde could feel the paper stick unraveling as she violently sunk in, the taste of wax and copper filling her mouth. 

"At first, of course I didn't believe it. I mean, since when was my little girl into girls?" 

Hiram's expression only seemed to take pleasure in visibly pissing her off, just as much as he enjoyed the sound of his own voice. 

"Then when she came home last night with that jacket on after watching her with you _Serpents_ , I thought maybe it belonged to the tall kid with the superman swirl, or that shorter one always hung up on the Sheriff's son, for a moment there I even thought that maybe Archie had went and joined himself...but now, I'm sure it's _you_." 

Betty remained expressionless. 

The blonde have no reaction, nothing away. 

No emotion. No tell. 

But Hiram was not fazed, the man smirked bleak with no humor at all. 

"I see the Serpents have trained you well, Betty. Sorry to say, you can't fool me." He cocked his head, mocking eyebrows rose knowingly. "You know as well as I do that this is the end of the line for your little trysts with my daughter...but, I'll cut a deal with you." 

Betty closely watched the cynical man's every movement as he abruptly reached into the inside of his suit jacket, the constant weight of the knife in her own pocket becoming a lot more notable as she gripped onto it. 

The blonde thought she might have preferred a weapon as Hiram drew out a bundle of cash, a thick stack complete with band keeping the currency together. 

A _dangerous_ amount to be carrying on the Southside, regardless of who you are.

She glanced quickly around the area, identifying no threats and few onlookers before her skeptical gaze landed back on the face of the smirking fiend questioningly. 

Hiram held the money out to her, his other hand raised harmlessly. "No tricks." He vowed, obviously amused at her skepticism. "Because I'm a generous man, this is five thousand dollars. You take this money and right here, right now, we both walk away. You and your ragtag friends stay away from Veronica and I'll stay away from you." 

That was the deal.

Was he fucking kidding?

"You're...trying to _buy_ her away from me? For five thousand dollars?" 

Betty felt the fiery heat and disgust rush into her bones at the notion, without even glancing down at the money being offered out to her, she glowered. 

The blonde spit the paper stick out of mouth, right at the man's thousand dollar feet as her vacant mask cracked. 

"Is that what you think Veronica is _worth_?" Her voice shook furiously as she took a step closer. 

Hiram's cool expression seemed to instantly tick. 

" _Everyone_ has a price." He hissed back at her, sneering as he took his own step forward. "Don't be so naive to think my daughter isn't worth much more than you could ever fantasize of. Five thousand dollars is just all I figured you could afford to hide in that rats nest trailer of yours without risking home robbery."

Betty kept up a steady glare and said nothing as her fists clenched to her sides. 

The offensive words bounced off her like white noise, she had heard it all before. 

Hiram cleared his throat when she didn't react, straightening out his suit as he appeared to remember himself and attempt to regain his composure.

His dark eyes seeded into her's. 

"Now, take the money and no harm will come to you. I give you my word." 

The man once again held out his money and tried to pass it off to her but Betty could only let out a humorless chuckle and shake her head, reveling in it being her turn to take pleasure in visibly pissing him off. 

The blonde scoffed. 

"With all due respect, your word means nothing to me." She shrugged. "No." 

"What did you say?" 

Hiram actually looked taken back by her blatant rejection— so, Betty reveled in that too.

"I said no." The blonde's voice hardened as her arms crossed and she spat. " _Fuck_ your money." 

Hiram's lip then curled up, his face ignited furiously.

"Don't be a fool, girl. You _need_ this!" He wildly shook the stack of green still in his hand. 

Betty slowly nodded maybe, before her features cooled.

"But I need your daughter more." 

She thought of the amazing girl as she blankly watched her father trying and failing to reign in his temper. 

"I'll double it." He growled. 

The blonde huffed and rolled her eyes.

"You're the fool if you think any amount of your money will ever come anywhere near close to making me give up, V." She clarified firmly. 

Hiram silently blinked at her and stopped waving his money around. His eyebrows furrowed at her unrelenting stare. 

"You're serious." 

It was less question than statement. 

"As a heart attack." 

She answered in sarcasm anyway, once again igniting the flame. 

Hiram brought his face close and Betty stood unflinchingly as the man hissed lowly and pointed his finger at her. 

"My daughter is better, _deserves_ better than you and your type. You are nothing more than scum underneath the shoe of a Lodge and a _traitor_ to your own side. She doesn't belong with you and I will make sure of that, whether she likes it or not."

Betty's eyes set wordlessly ablaze, taking shallow breaths the blonde fought her body from lashing out at the tirade— the words hitting her a little more than she would ever admit to anyone, especially the man so close...

Her fists clenched tighter. 

...which would make it so _easy_ to just reach out and-

"Is there a problem here?" 

Betty's blazing eyes instinctively flickered to the sound over Hiram's shoulder and relaxed a fraction, although not backing off. 

FP approached with grave features, trudging the blonde's sleek bike up from the garage beside a scowling Toni at his side with her own bike. 

The gang leader parked her bike next to her and stood tall as he set his tough gaze upon the other man, white cloth wiping his hands of black engine grease. 

Hiram's glare promptly let up as he backed off her, while the dangerous glint in his eye didn't, he turned to FP with a forged smile. 

"None at all, Mr. Jones." He bullshitted pleasantly, while swiftly re-pocketing the wad of cash back into his suit. 

Betty continued her mute assault of glared daggers into him.

As did FP and Toni by her side. 

The message was clear.

It was time to leave. 

Hiram merely met the three glares and then turned back to Betty, curiously tilting his head as her hair swept with the wind and fell into her face. 

"Nasty bruise you have there, Betty. Where'd you get it?" 

Betty stiffened even the more and didn't let it show, saying nothing. 

Bruise.

The bruise on the side of her head she had gotten fighting off those back of the bar idiots. 

_Did he know about that?_

"Why?" FP asked shortly in her place, his own eyes narrowed. 

Hiram rose his hands in playful surrender, shaking his head. 

"Just curiosity, Mr. Jones." He directed a nod at the blonde's motorbike and motioned at her. "You should really be more careful out on the road riding those things."

_So, he didn't know about the idiots._

_But why else would he assume she had gotten it from an accident? Unless he was responsible?_

_The ruthless man wouldn't possibly put Veronica in danger just to get to her....would he?_

Hiram simply threw her one last smirk. "Good day." He nodded his head at the three of them, with that, finally turning on his heel and making his way back down the pavement.

Betty watched his retreating back warily, knowing it wouldn't be their last encounter. 

"What the hell was that about?" 

She much more sensed Toni's hit to her arm than felt, demanding questioning snapping her out of it. 

FP's stare burning into the side of her head was even more so intense than the slap. 

Betty gritted her teeth irately, not even bothering to look between the two intense gazes she felt set on her as she set her sights on the motorbike she'd missed. 

"He found out about me and V." The blonde answered shortly before swiftly hopping onto the machinery, hoping to avoid more questions. "Let's just get out of here." 

Betty looked to see if the keys were in the ignition.

They weren't. 

With a quiet groan, she glanced upward to see FP held her keys in his hand. He also held a stern look on his face. 

"Do I need to get involved here, Betty?" 

Betty sighed, arms stubbornly crossing over her handlebars. "No." She bit out vehement, albeit uneasily, to the equally as unconvinced looking man. "Seriously, FP it's nothing." 

FP didn't believe her. 

Just as Toni hadn't earlier, in front of her she could hear said pink-haired girl's bike roar— a small pacifier in her desire to leave. 

But the man still just looked on at her in that concerned fatherly way that secretly made her just as uncomfortable as it might have warmed the little girl inside her. 

The blonde desperately tried to assure him with a simple look. 

Which surprisingly seemed to work as FP exhaled and slipped the keys into her hand with a shake of his head. 

Betty was quick to slide them into the ignition, twisting the clutch, revving the bike's engine and growing pleased with the almost forgotten sound.

A hand landed on her shoulder and firmly squeezed. FP looked down at her meaningfully, though with small smile tugging on his lips.

"Stay out of trouble, kid. Call me if you have any problems." 

Betty merely nodded her thanks, briefly patting the man's hand on her as she, along with Toni, slowly crawled off down the pavement and off the auto shop expanse.

No Hiram in sight. 

The blonde's jaw ticked as she looked straight ahead, missing Toni's gaze of concern as the smaller Serpent crawled beside her and wagered.

"Come on, blondie. Last one back to Sunnyside has to do Sweet Pea's dirty laundry for a week."

Betty's blue eyes cut to the side and met her friend's challenging regard. 

The darker girl was trying to lift her spirits by goading her. 

At any other time, the blonde would have hopped at the chance to see how fast her baby could go after being spruced up in shop— but right then, she wanted nothing more than to go at a punching boxing bag or two in the shape of Hiram Lodge's face. 

Anything to unleash the feeling. 

She rose wordless eyebrows back.

Toni smirked.

Not a second passed before both girls took to the road, bikes racing wild through the wind and leaving only their dust and tire marks to trail behind them. 

...

The sun was downing over the horizon by the time Betty and Toni tied it back to Sunnyside Trailer Park, near dark as their bikes crawled onto the turf and slowly came to two staggering halts in front of the blonde's trailer. 

Dark as it were, the state of the outside was as clear as day.

Toni blinked. "Shit..." The pink-haired girl couldn't tear her eyes away and awkwardly chortled an attempt to joke. "It's still standing at least." 

But Betty wasn't amused. 

Far from it.

Her blood was boiling actually. 

The blonde's hands gripped to her handlebars as she burned lethal holes into the bold blood red letters newly scrawled across the surface of her trailer. 

**T R A I T O R**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapters Spoliers* : Betty and Veronica's confrontation with Hiram together, a theatrical visit to the police station and some risky snooping that doesn't go as planned.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Be vigilant, as the devil prowls like a lion, seeking whom he may devour'." 
> 
> "He won't get away with this."
> 
> "You are more than good enough for me."
> 
> "Betty is my girlfriend, daddy."
> 
> "How dare you choose this-this trailer park trash over your family!"
> 
> "You really should've taken the money, Betty."
> 
> "Leave now, don't let me see you here again."
> 
> "You won't ever keep us apart." 
> 
> "We'll see about that."

"So, you two are just magnets for trouble now?" 

Betty growled, knelt in front of the soap bucket squeezing harshly onto the yellow sponge in her hands. 

Archie's question rung into the night air surrounding the vandalized trailer, it was as sympathetic as it was rhetorical while he and everyone else thwacked coinciding sponges and rags onto the mostly white surface. 

Very little blood red paint still shown of the last 'R', the bold letter limited with glow provided from the dimly lit street lamps stood above them. 

Sleeves rolled up to their elbows, the gang had frustratedly scrubbed and washed away for some time.

The vandals had were long gone, the damage to the blonde's trailer was over before Veronica, Archie, Cheryl, or Sweet Pea could notice. The four had begun unnecessarily speculated over whether or not the Black Hood or the Ghoulies were responsible. 

Toni shot her a knowing look as she wrung out her rag. 

"Son of a bitch."

Betty hissed angrily under her breath, eyes shifting from the pink-haired girl's look to her arguing friends lined up along the outside of her trailer as she stood to her full height and sloppily dropped her sponge. 

She was _really_ trying not to lose her shit. 

After her lie to Veronica.

After her clash with Hiram Lodge.

After her trailer was hit.

After-

" _Breath._ " 

Veronica whispered lowly into the blonde's ear, semi-wet hands pressed against her girlfriend's tense shoulder's from behind— evidently oblivious to the Serpents thoughts, but not her bubbling anger. 

Betty listened anyway, calmly exhaling and inhaling while simultaneously feeling every hypnotizing touch as the brunette came around her side— keeping a safe hand on her arm as she rose an eyebrow at the rest of the group. 

"So we agree? It couldn't have been the Black Hood, it doesn't make any sense." 

"Precisely." Cheryl nodded curtly, looking annoyed while rubbing her wet hands dry with a dirty towel as she spoke. "And anyway it has the Ghoulies usual signature literally written all over it." She scowled at the barbaric skull-crossbone symbol on the trailer as Sweet Pea and Archie finished scrubbing off the rest of it.

Archie sighed as they finished, gratefully taking the towel offered to him by the other redhead and wiping his own hands dry. "Which begs the question, why?" He furthered curiously. 

Only answered to by Sweet Pea who had since stayed quietly stewing, facing the trailer as he cleaned. 

"It doesn't matter." The tall boy growled, turning to them and lashing out at the open air with a balled fist. "It never does, fucking Ghoulies!" He furiously hurled his sponge with the other hand, landing with a violent splash into the water bucket next to him. 

Everyone sighed.

Betty closed her eyes in place at the single outburst, if anyone was more pissed than her at things it was Sweet Pea. 

And both of them being pissed never boded very well. 

"It wasn't them." 

The blonde revealed too calmly aloud, then re-opened her eyes to find four confused faces focused on her. 

She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration and grasping to try and get her point across. "Well it was, but it _wasn't_. Someone else is calling the shots."

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed in confusion while Archie queried for her. 

"You mean someone was paid to do this?" The redhead frowned in equal confusion as the brunette and the rest of the circle surrounding in front of the trailer.

She looked at her stressed girlfriend, a single swipe underneath the blonde's chin turning her around to face her as she followed up.

"How do you possibly know that, babe?" 

Betty visibly hesitated while looking down at her.

"Wait, hold on." 

But the blonde didn't have to answer.

Not as Sweet Pea pinned his glare on her.

"You're saying you know what bitch did this and we're here cleaning up their fucking mess instead of out there kicking in skulls right now?" His wild hands flicked water on everyone, bark too loud for the time of night. "Betty, what the hell!?"

Betty groaned, clenching her fists at the incredulous faces around her. "It isn't that simple, Pea. We can't all solve our problems with a strong right hook." Her voice held an edge to it as she glared back. 

"Why the hell not!?" 

Sweet Pea shot back even louder, egging her on and stepping up to her. 

Which aided in instantly making her lose her temper. 

The violent fist to metal sound nearly reverberated around the park. 

"God, because I fucking said so!" The blonde hissed, pulling her fist back before getting into the taller Serpent's glaring face. "Fuck off, Sweet Pea." She warned. 

The two were practically nose to nose, waiting for the other to make the next move. 

"Alright, the _both_ of you need to back off." 

Veronica pulled her girlfriend back before that could happen, frowning deeply.

"Everybody needs to calm down a minute."

The brunette demanded as she gripped the blonde by the arm, led her to the trailer steps and made her sit. 

Archie, Cheryl, and Toni worked to push a huffing Sweet Pea a little ways backwards— the tall boy throwing his hands up in surrender. 

Veronica paid no attention to any of that as she sat next to Betty, deliberately not making eye contact with her in place of seethingly staring down at her boots, and checked over her knuckles to ensure the Serpent hadn't actually hurt herself. 

She didn't. 

Not much could be said for the crater of a dent the blonde had put into her trailer, but it wouldn't possibly be noticed amongst all the rest. 

The brunette sighed and crossly looked up at the others. 

"Isn't there a saying you guys have? Like don't get mad, get even?" She guessed sarcastically. 

Toni snorted incredulously, crossing her arms as her side leaned up against the trailer. "Wrong gang, princess."

Sweet Pea, forced behind the group, glowered over her head and crossed his own arms. "We're a more get mad _and_ get even bunch." He snipped darkly. 

Cheryl hummed in agreement. 

Archie snorted. 

And no one argued. 

Veronica shouldn't have been surprised, as per their collective anger issues the Serpents all seemed to share at different times— mostly justified— they weren't exactly the Scooby-Doo gang. 

But her worried eyes still drifted over to her girlfriend.

Betty, who had significantly cooled down and could no longer ignore her love's concern gaze on her, turned apologetically. 

"What's going on, baby?"

Veronica shook her head in confusion, squeezing at the blonde's hand and gave her a soft reassuring smile. 

Only Betty knew that ease was about to go away because of her. 

The blonde squeezed the brunette's hand back and kissed it remorsefully before taking in a breath, drawing in the attention of the entire awaiting group.

But Betty's her eyes were only for the girl sitting next to her as she spoke. 

"Your dad was at the auto shop." 

Just as she thought, the small smile was immediately wiped clean from her girlfriend's face.

Everyone else, but Toni, wore expressions just as surprised at the mention of the man. 

The words echoed through Veronica's head like a distant ringing.

"What?" The brunette sizzled, with the look on the blonde's features she automatically put the pieces together. "You think he did this." 

There was no question. 

Betty's eyes softened as she pulled her visibly upset girl into her side, comforting arm slipping around her. 

"Wait, how is that possible?" 

Cheryl arched a wondering eyebrow. 

Betty sighed, exchanging yet another look with the pink-haired girl stood across from her. "It was something he said, along with everything else he was berating me with..." She felt the brunette leant into her tense and quickly moved on. "He called me a _traitor_ , sound familiar?" Her eyebrows rose meaningfully with the very words scrawled to her trailer.

Sweet Pea visibly seethed. 

Cheryl seethed.

And this time, Veronica wasn't far from behind. She stayed numbly pressed into her blonde's side, cursing her father. 

Toni shook her head. "He hired Ghoulies to do the job." She concluded. 

Realization spread across Archie's face as he also frowned. 

"That would also explain why you guys kept feeling like you were being watched." 

Cheryl simmered at the words, shaking her head. "'Be vigilant, as the devil prowls like a lion, seeking whom he may devour'." She quoted dryly.

Veronica's scowl deepened and Betty glared at the redhead, stroking down the brunette's arms.

Sweet Pea scoffed loudly, but said nothing undoubtedly out of pure spite while wiping his brow with the back of wet hands in irritation. 

And Archie winced. 

"Mr. Lodge _is_ a pretty resourceful man, he would know how to get away with stuff like this." 

The group's glares turned on him. 

Of course, he would know having been previously been in the man's clutches. 

The redhead quickly shook his head to rectify. "But he won't get away with this." He assured in kind.

The glares lessened. 

Veronica shot him a teetering look of gratitude. 

Even Betty nodded gratefully, the blonde's eyes sweeping pass him as Sweet Pea stepped up, slipping from the back to clap a hand supportively on her shoulder.   
  
"No. He won't." The tall boy gave a little smile. "We won't let him, Betts. In _whatever_ way you two want to handle this, we've got your back." 

Betty looked up and smirked a little back, simply nudging him. 

The two never held grudges for long. 

The rest looked on at the couple in nonverbal support. 

It was hopeful at best. 

Betty and Veronica shared a look with each other, matching unsure features barely visibly underneath the fading street lamp illuminating them as they clung in each other's arms. 

They were going to need more than hope.

To start, they needed a chat with Hiram Lodge. 

...

Maybe not to start. 

"Thanks." 

Betty's breath escaped her as she dipped to softly kiss the lips of the still shuddering girl she loved lying half on top of her, the sheets up to their necks and their naked bodies entangled. 

After the rest left her trailer, Betty was fully intent on that chat— one hasty angered step into her bedroom to retrieve the keys to her bike, following behind her equally as riled up girlfriend that had previously entered then immediately began shedding her clothes to literally throw herself onto the Serpent— and any conversation with the girl's father grew the furthest from her mind. 

She was very pleased to discover sex with the brunette was just as useful as wanting to punch something when it came to turning off all her guilt and aggression. 

Veronica smiled and panted hearing the formal utterance, snuggled up against the Serpent's chest as she snorted. 

"Don't _thank_ me, Betty." The brunette rolled her eyes up mock questioningly at the blonde. "Why am I sleeping with such a dork, again?"

Betty grinned down sweetly. "Because you lovveee me." She teasingly squeezed the girl in her arms close, making Veronica have to duck her head into the blonde's neck to hide her huge smile whilst feeling her girlfriend's fingers tenderly caress the dip in her bare hip. 

So slow and gentle like their previous activities. 

"Only a little." She half-heartedly contended from underneath the blonde's chin.

It was Betty's turn to snort before she lifted the brunette's head and made her look at her. "Besides, you should be thanked." She smirked slyly. "It was a very pleasurable experience, for _both_ of us if I can say so myself."

And she most definitely could. 

Veronica was truly never left wanting after they were together and neither was Betty.

This time was no different— except that by some miracle they weren't interrupted and could merely hear a snoring Sweet Pea stretched out on the blonde's couch in the next room after the tall boy had refused going home in case any Ghoulies returned. 

Fortunately for him, he was a heavy sleeper. 

The brunette scoffed anyway, lifting a critical eyebrow at the blonde. 

"Being thanked after sex makes me feel like I'm some two dollar prostitute being paid for."

Betty's expression instantly softened into a frown. "Hey..." She shook her head into the pillow with vigor disagreement as she leaned over to gently meet eyes. "Babe, you're worth _way_ more than two dollars."

Veronica opened her mouth in offense and nothing came out for few seconds, then she clicked her tongue with a mind made up nod. "And I am never sleeping with you again." She began to push herself away from the laughing Serpent. 

"Come on V, I was kidding." 

Betty chuckled as more and more delicious skin she didn't want going strayed from her sheets, on instinct she pulled the brunette back into her arms and the smaller girl allowed her. 

Veronica shot up a playful warning glare. "Well, if you continue to 'kid', I think I might smack you." She stubbornly pushed the blonde's arms off her without actually going anywhere in them. 

Betty only tilted her head and hummed in mischievous thought. "I think I might be into that actually." She playfully leered. 

That was until her annoyed girlfriend began to pull away from her again. 

"No, _no_ , okay." Betty grinned and quickly dropped the act, drawing the brunette back into her arms once more as she easily yielded. "No more, I swear."

"Like I'd ever believe that." 

Veronica's amused eyes rolled again but stayed inside the arms surrounding her, giggling a little herself at her girlfriend's genuine efforts to keep her naked body so close. 

Betty smiled fondly at the sound.

It fell a fraction when she was reminded of the days occurrences. 

The actual bribe for the girl in her arms. 

Veronica's own features sobered to reflect the blonde's own, comfortingly fidgeting the fingers along the hand that had recklessly lashed out against metal earlier that night. 

"I'm sorry." Betty's head dropped. 

The blonde kicked herself. 

For the awful bribe unbeknown to the brunette, letting her anger get the best of her and having her see her like some typical hotheaded Southsider. 

Veronica lifted herself to hover above her love and cupped her face in her hands, sensing more in her dejected irises. 

She knew something had gotten into the Serpent before and it wasn't just Sweet Pea, her father was highly influencing. 

The brunette pressed her head lovingly to the blonde's. "No, Betty you have _nothing_ to apologize for." She stressed, before sighing. "Tell me everything that happened, baby." 

Betty reluctantly did just that, leaving out a few insults and details. 

A million conflicting thoughts and feelings swirled through Veronica when it was finished. 

Hurt. Anger. Love. 

A large terrifying fear for Betty that her father would follow through on his threats after his dirty money had been down without a batted an eye— a detail she couldn't help but to smother the blonde in kisses for. 

Betty returned her affections wholeheartedly, dejection draining away as her love gasped onto her lips and drew from her. 

Veronica smiled a bit fondly at the slight dazed look left on her blonde's pleased features and strokeed down her red streaked cheeks. 

"You are _more_ than good enough for me." She promised to all the cruel lies her father had spilled. "Don't ever forget that."

Betty's own smile grew at the promise, she inclined upward and left another lasting peck on her girlfriend's lips as an answer. 

It was one the brunette delightfully accepted as she rested her head back against the blonde's chest, listening for her steady heartbeat in an aim to be content for the moment. 

But Betty wasn't so settled completely.

"Are you okay?" 

The concerned question filtered through the air in unison with it entering the Serpent's mind. 

Veronica felt herself stiffening as her own mind raced.

He was her father.

But it was Betty being threatened, berated, and had her trailer vandalized.

And it was _her_ who had put Betty onto her father's radar by loving her.

"Hey."

Betty breathed into her ear, breaking her out of her thoughts. 

Veronica's eyes fluttered, feeling the fingers caressing below her hip again calmed her— though she chose not to ask how the blonde did it, she answered a question with a question instead. 

"What else did he say to you?"

The note of worry and protectiveness was noticeable in her tone. 

Betty frowned down at her. The blonde didn't miss her question being ignored.

Nor did she want to admit that some of Hiram's words had gotten to her and might have stung in the deep-seated parts of her mind.

The part that told her she was indeed fooling herself with Veronica. A girl she loved and didn't deserve. Betty was far from rich and as a Serpent she was a danger, in addition to just about everyone was against them being together but their small group of friends. 

Then there was _him_ she had yet to unravel. 

If Hiram did any research at all, he would have known about him and telling Veronica would destroy her right then and there.

Betty felt her own eyes flutter, suddenly exhausted at the straining thought. 

The blonde simply sighed and rolled over, pressing her worrying girlfriend onto her back still in her arms and burying her face into the brunette's warm flat stomach. 

"Nothing I haven't already heard, don't worry V." She muttered short and assuringly, closing her eyes. 

Despite the words, the blonde's actions did nothing to decrease Veronica's worry— she knew that whatever it was her father said had indeed affected Betty, regardless of the Serpent's lack of admittance, the mere fact that Betty rarely let her hold her was a testament to that— nevertheless, just as if she had been doing it all along, the brunette held her girlfriend and rubbed her back with the utmost affection.

But her brown eyes flashed up into air. 

She wasn't going to give them up so easily. 

They were going to have that talk with her father and that was a firm promise.

"Later, babe?" 

As if Betty could sense her growing anger. 

The words rolled and tickled tiredly onto her stomach where the blonde rested. 

Veronica had promised her mother that she would be back that night. 

She sighed and forced herself to calm once again.

"Later." 

Her brown eyes shut as she promised, tangling one hand into her love's while the other held her tighter to her. 

She was out within minutes, exhaustion taking over.

Betty's eyes flickered back open the moment she heard the brunette's breathing even out. 

Tired as she was, the blonde knew her thoughts wouldn't be letting her sleep any time soon. 

She rolled back onto her back, careful not to jostle her sleeping love who kept a tight hold on her hand even in her sleep. 

Betty smiled ever so slightly at the beautiful unconscious sight of her girlfriend before switching her gaze blankly up at the ceiling. 

Left moderately alone with her anxious thoughts of what would happen for them next with Hiram's interference, the blonde had little else to do but wait for his daughter to wake. 

...

Veronica was not the least bit surprised to see both her parents waiting up for her the moment she stepped inside the Pembrooke that morning around one a.m. 

Two hours passed her curfew. Again. 

But she suspected they themselves were more or less surprised to see Betty entering in right behind her. 

The twitch on her father's stone face as he glanced the Serpent stood adjacent through the living room arch was enough proof to satisfy both of them of that. 

Her mother's face was already one of regret.

Silently, the four joined in the living room. 

Tension that could be cut with Betty's knife filled the standoff they created, couple on one side and the adults on the other. 

It was Veronica who broke the quiet, blazing dark eyes staring straight ahead at the man in front of her. 

"Daddy." She began first, tone terse. 

That was when Hiram finally broke and huffed a mocking laugh as he stared the girl back down. 

"I would like to say I'm impressed." He waggled a teasing finger at the brunette, mirth mixed with his transparent expression of peeved. "Very sneaky, baby girl. You're almost as good at not being caught as your dear old father."

Veronica only glowered at him and Hermione sighed. 

But Hiram's eyes simply cut to the blonde beside his daughter where all mirth vanished. 

" _Almost._ " His voiced hardened. 

Betty met the glare with her own as passively and controlled as she could manage, keeping her mouth locked shut— no matter how much her blood called out in several creative ideas to enact for the state of her trailer— unfortunately all of them led to her at some point performing violence, and that would cost a whole other set of problems. 

The Serpent wrestled to remember she had promised herself and Veronica a chat, sans Sweet Pea style, as they rode over. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "How did you know?" She interjected, hoping and succeeding in bringing her father's attention off her love. 

Hiram merely shrugged as his slick gaze landed back on her. "Oh, I got an interesting call, along with some distinct photographs from one of my many trusted sources I had watching you." He admitted easily to confirm their suspicions, looking extremely pleased at doing so. 

Betty's blood called out even louder. 

Veronica scowled. 

As did Hermione. 

" _Hiram._ " The woman in shock admonished her husband. 

Hiram ignored them all, his eyes suddenly narrowed in on his daughter. 

"Now how about you explain to me on why I had to find out from three different sources that you were not only mingling yourself with Serpents but that you were seen _kissing_ one." His voice increasingly rose and shook accusingly at the brunette. 

Betty took a protective step closer, before Veronica grabbed her. 

"Hiram, calm down." Hermione admonished the man again, who barely directed a blazed look to his right to at her in response. 

Betty glanced down confused as she felt her girlfriend's hand intertwine with her's. 

Veronica shot the blonde up a small sure look, that she returned— feeling more confident in the presence of her father with Betty by her side, the brunette turned to him unwaveringly. 

"Betty is my girlfriend, daddy." She stated for the first time, sensing a weight off her shoulders as she confesses. "She has been for almost a year." 

Betty's heart flipped. 

Hiram's face darkened. 

But Veronica continued, not waiting for his reaction. 

"Also, I have quite a few friends that are Serpents now too and I couldn't care less what you or anyone else thinks about it." She spoke matter of factly, hand tightening its hold on her girlfriend's. "That isn't going to change any time soon, so I think you better get used to it." 

The room fell deafeningly silent. 

Hermione looked as proud of her daughter as Betty felt. 

And Hiram was visibly livid. 

"How dare you..." 

The man glowered at his daughter and hissed slow. 

"How dare you choose this-this _trailer park trash_ over your family!" He just about roared in anger. 

Betty's flinch at the words was barely there, but it was there. 

"Dad!" 

"Hiram!"

Both Lodge women screamed at the same time.

"Do _not_ call her that." 

Veronica's words were heated as she took a defiant step toward her father and slightly in front of her Serpent. 

But Hiram's attention was already over her head. 

"Not much to say now, Betty?" 

Betty kept her calm with a deep breath. 

He had no idea how much. 

"Nope." The blonde grounded out, steadily holding down the man's glare with ease.

She recognized the subtle squeeze of her hand as her girlfriend knowing better. 

Hiram sneered. 

"So, you agree that you and your little friends are trailer park trash? That even the rats that infest the junkyard filth you call home detest residing there?" 

Veronica squeezed the blonde even harder.   
  
Betty scoffed in retort. "Only the rats that live to tell the tale." She returned sarcastically, pissing the man off more. 

Hermione cut in, turning to her husband and pulling him around by the arm to face her. "Stop it, Hiram. You're just being plain evil now." 

Hiram deeply frowned at his wife in disbelief. "You're _defending_ this, Hermione?" 

Hermione shook her head at the man, matching his look of disbelief with one of her own. 

"If these girls want to be together, why not put the ridiculous feud this town has aside and let them?" She argued heatedly, crossing her arms. "No ones being hurt and their decision to date certainly doesn't concern us." 

Hiram went silent, looking between the glaring girls and then back to the woman, eyes narrowed into disgusted slits. 

"You knew about this." He accused questionlessly. 

Hermione didn't hesitate. "Yes." She admitted plainly, looking the man straight in the eye. 

Hiram growled.

"And you're _supporting_ them?" He began yelling again, this time directed at the woman he married. "Even knowing how bad this will look on us? Knowing that our daughter's girlfriend is this lying, thieving, penniless Serpent that she isn't even _safe_ to be around!?" 

Hermione stood passively as the man raged in her face, Veronica would not. 

"Veronica will not be risking this family's reputation on some foolish game or teenage rebellious phase-" 

"This is far from a phase and Betty makes me feel _plenty_ of safe when I'm with her." 

The brunette cut off firmly, recalling her rebellious phase started in Spence done and over when she left New York for Riverdale— not that he would know between his shady business and his time spent in jail for fraud. 

_Foolish game, teenage rebellious phase..._

Betty's jaw clenched, mind only choosing to focusing on those mocking five words alone. 

"Really?" Hiram's eyebrows rose sardonically as he slowly turned from his angered wife and on his angered daughter upon her interruption. "Safe like the motorcycle accident she got you two in earlier this week?" He countered. 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed, calm facade cracking briefly.

"How do you know about that?" She spat quickly. 

Veronica's own expression morphed of silent confusion, she glanced sideways at her mother. "Yeah. _How?_ " 

Hermione slowly shook her head in answer, also eyeing her husband critically. "I didn't tell him." 

Hiram's resolve seemed to waver a half-second under all their intensive glares, then sweeped a practice hand over at the Serpent. "As I'm sure she's already told you, I ran into her at the auto shop earlier." The man cleared his throat and straightened himself out, shrugging imperviously. "I just assumed from the indents and repairs it needed." 

Betty and Veronica exchanged a look. 

Maybe the man wasn't responsible for their accident, it was nearly impossible to tell when he was lying. Nearly. 

Veronica's eyes flickered away and narrowed back on her father. 

"Dad, did you try to pay Betty off to get her to stop seeing me and hire Ghoulies to spray paint 'traitor' on her trailer?" She inquired lowly. 

Hermione's eyes widened. 

Hiram didn't flinched.

Unlike before, the man's face remained passive and unsurprised— as if he was expecting the question from them at any moment. 

And of course he was, Betty thought darkly and then no doubt of her vandal's puppetmaster. 

Hiram's eyes gleamed back at her, underlying delightful malice before looking back down at his daughter. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Veronica."

And what was left of said girl's nerve snapped. 

Veronica scoffed loudly. 

"That is _such_ bullshit!" She shouted in the man's face.

It went almost simultaneously with Betty's sarcastic chuckle and choked out mock of 'bullshit'. 

Hermione sighed, bowing her head and pinching her nose.

"Hey you watch your tongue under this roof, young lady!" 

Hiram was especially surprised, eyes widened furiously he turned to his wife. 

"See that? That girls already become a bad influence." He snapped.

Veronica could feel the burning tears of frustration building up once again, so much so her voice shook. 

"Betty isn't influencing me!" 

"It's okay, babe." 

Betty whispered comfortingly into the brunette's ear from behind with as much calmness as she herself could manage, she resented her girlfriend being upset at any time and now especially by her bastard of a father.

Veronica coiled into her blonde's comforting presence, she wouldn't dare let a tear drop and give the man in front of her the benefit.

Hermione finally lifted her head, fatigued eyes laid on her husband. "You didn't."  
  
Hiram nodded curtly at the woman, too-calmly sighing out. 

"Precisely Hermione, I had no idea the girl's trailer was vandalized and I _certainly_ didn't bribe her." 

Then a small slimy smirk slid on the man's face as he met eyes with the Serpent and winked. 

"At least that's what I'll have my accusers believe."

Hermione closed her eyes again.

Veronica shook her head. 

And Betty hissed. "You're so full of sh-"

"This coming from the _snake_?" Hiram quirked a mocking eyebrow back. 

Hermione's eyes shot open as she slapped his arm. "Hiram! How could you do something like this? She is just a girl-  
I  
"Exactly my point, Hermione." 

Hiram swiftly cut the woman off, unfazed before he looked down at his daughter all frowned and pleaded with her to see his twisted reasoning. 

"Think about your future, Veronica. This girl has no money, barely a home, nothing to offer you but the life of a future inmate's conjugal visit. How is she going to take care of you? How's a life like that going to make you happy?" 

Veronica's ferocity and incredulousness skyrocketed, visible in her irises. 

"Because _Betty_ makes me happy!" She burst. 

Betty's heart flipped once more as her girlfriend stood up for them. 

"I don't care about anything else, money has never mattered to me." 

Hiram blinked blankly, near incomprehensible it seemed at the very concept of his daughter's. 

"What else possibly matters?" 

Veronica's eyes rolled back as she shook her head. "Love does." She overtly holding her and her love's joint hands up for emphasis. " _Love_ matters, daddy." 

Hiram's loss and irritation twisted his features. 

"Love?" 

A tense beat passed as he stared the connected girls down. 

"Veronica Lodge, you can't be _serious_."

Veronica was unfaltering as she stared her father back down. "As a heart attack." She quipped. "We're in love." 

A small smile curled at Betty's lips at the unintentional re-quote of herself from earlier falling from her girlfriend's tongue. 

As an added bonus, the comical look on Hiram's face meant she wasn't the only one who had noticed. 

"You think this is funny?" He snapped and took a menacing step towards the couple, to her. 

Not submitting, Betty decided on simply tilting her head and giving a wry nod of confirmation. 

"A little bit actually, yeah." 

Hiram seethed.

"You're forcing her to do this, aren't you?" He spat, another step closer as he pressed heatedly. "What are you doing to my daughter?" 

Hermione tried to calm the man to no avail and Veronica pressed against her unmoving blonde's chest, having any clue of her father's capabilities or intentions— as well as knowing Betty's exactly. 

"Nothing at all." 

Betty spoke shortly, steaming at the thought. 

The blonde calculated every move on the man's part in a calm manner, inwardly anyway as a small smirk formed that she just couldn't resist, or even tried to. 

"...well nothing she doesn't want me to anyway."

Hiram heaved in a sharp tempered breath with pupils blown, face red at boiling point. 

Hermione budged him backwards in time, with the gentle hand laid on the Serpent's chest doing the same.

Betty let it in an effort to instantly release her girlfriend's hand as hers clenched into fists that would have otherwise done the brunette's harm, already leaving near skin breaking crescents in her own. 

Veronica felt the heart beneath her other palm hammering angrily away with the blonde's subtly rising temper as she herself bristled with disgust.

"Betty's not _forcing me_ to do anything." She hissed. 

But Hiram's bark plowed furiously over her, tensed form still under the clutches of the woman beside him.

"Thats it!" The man easily broke out of his infuriated wife's grip on him and pointed a sharp finger at her. "I will not allow you to keep seeing this girl and continue to be swayed by that kind of bad behavior and attitude."

Betty scoffed mockingly. 

"You know nothing about me." 

Hiram sneered. "I know this." He stared darkly the Serpent. "You are going to stay away from my daughter." 

Betty swallowed harshly at the mere declaration, only then regretting loosening her grip on her girlfriend's hand. 

Veronica started, blood rushing to her burning ears— feeling her own heart going in a sudden tandem race with her blonde's own. 

" _No._ "

The brunette's hard protest followed her mother's own. 

"Hiram, this isn't your decision to make. You can't just force them to break up." Hermione rebuked. 

But Hiram silently held his stare on Betty's, and she, his. 

"She's right." The blonde simply responded coolly, the very opposite of her insides as she sneered back. "You may resent me for being who I am and not support Veronica and I being together, but you won't stop me." 

"And you won't ever keep us apart." 

Veronica's gaze pierced just as fiercely into her father as she furthered. 

Hiram didn't even blink as he looked between them. 

"We'll see about that." He countered with chilling promise, though as the couple never shook, he dismissively nodded at the Serpent. "Starting by you getting the hell out of my home. Leave now, don't let me see you here again, or the police in this town will be happy to escort a Serpent off the premises and into one of their fine cells down at the station." 

_Don't do this_

Veronica mentally pled for who she didn't know.

The brunette looked to her mom, but the woman's expression was just as helpless as her husband continued on checking over his watch. 

"You have about ten seconds to make up your mind, Betty." The man began sinisterly counting down as he glowered down at the device as if it were the blonde herself. "Eight." 

Betty inwardly growled. 

There was no decision. 

The blonde would get her ass both kicked and handed to her if she were arrested, by her mother and FP especially, the Southsiders would either target her or try and riot the Northside on her behalf— neither of which she wanted to have happen. 

"V..."

She slipped her hand back into the brunette's, softening and downing her eyes for her girlfriend's sad brown gaze. 

"I know." Veronica whispered, fully facing and fingers caressing the indents made from the Serpent's previously clenched fist, understanding with her one look. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't." 

Betty dissuaded quickly, other hand resting on the brunette's slim waist and pulling her love close. 

"Four." 

The count continued, sharper. 

_And what the hell? Everyone already knew_

Betty swiftly leaned down and pressed her lips joint with her girlfriend's own, eyes opened a split second to the man in front before closing to delight in the feel. 

In which Veronica intently returned her affections. 

The girls' short kiss was soft, yet searing in their blatant display of defiance.

" _One._ "

It was when they could practically hear Hiram grit his teeth into a snarl that the girls pulled away and Betty reluctantly released Veronica, hands rose mockingly. 

"I'm leaving." 

She bit out, starting towards the door. Veronica could only turn to watch painfully before her father's cruel words sounded behind her. 

"You really should've taken the money, Betty. I would watch my back if I were you, I would hate to have anything happen to you like that ex-boyfriend of yours." 

_Jug_

Betty whipped back in what was a flash, physically have to force herself to stay in place, blazing line of sight shooting passed both her girlfriend's murderous glare and her mother's shocked gasp. 

"That a warning or a threat?" She growled. 

"Oh, friendly warning of course." Hiram's stare blazed into her just as deep, taking on an unforgiving tone. "You should just know that I know some very powerful people." 

Betty glowered mutely. 

"So do I." She promised darkly. 

The blonde casted one last look at Hermione Lodge's apologetic look and into her love's less murderous more worried gaze with the promise everything was going to be okay— she backed towards door and barged her way out it before doing something she'd most definitely regret. 

Veronica spun on her father the moment the hard door slammed behind her blonde, unfallen teary gaze of resentment reined steady as she looked into the man's sharp unapologetic irises. 

"I hate you! If anything happens to her, I _swear_ I will make you live to regret it."

The brunette waited for no response before bounding the upstairs, her body's only yearning to run out the front door right behind her girlfriend as she allowed for her tears to finally flow and disappeared out of sight. 

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself, Hiram." 

Hermione shook her head, leaving the man's side to put as much distance between herself and her diabolical husband as possible, scathing glare only dropped in following her upset daughter up to her bedroom.

Hiram Lodge left alone in the room stood stock still and only silently pensive on his next course of action, not a fool to think he would keep that criminal Serpent away from his naive daughter for long. 

It would take more than a simple devious scheme to have the blonde harmed, he needed to have something real on the girl, something that would have his daughter _running_ away from her...

The man's smirk was pure wicked. 

He knew just who to acquire it from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;) Kudos and comments are much appreciated, as well as constructive criticism is always welcome.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's grounded. Indefinitely."
> 
> "We'll have some leverage to get him to back off us and the entirety of the Southside."
> 
> "Ready for this?" 
> 
> "Well you know me Sheriff, always happy to help out."
> 
> "I know who the Black Hood is!"
> 
> "You're better than him, Betty." 
> 
> "Get down." 
> 
> "You lied to her." 
> 
> "Just tell me what you see in her." 
> 
> "Archie..."
> 
> "It's my turn to save her, to save us from my demon dad." 
> 
> "I-I can't believe this..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter ;) 
> 
> "-" = scenes happening at the same time. 
> 
> Crackish??? If you squint.

_One Week Later_

"I still can't believe that rich dick really offered you five g's and you didn't take it. I mean, damn dude, you _are_ loyal." 

Sweet Pea blew out an impressed breath for his nth time. 

Betty rolled her eyes and scoffed at the boy's all-too incredulous expression as he sat beside her on her own couch and not once took his off the screen sat in front of them, nor paused his repeated button tapping to the controller in his hand. 

Not that she was any better.

The blonde slammed down on her own controls, sideswiping his virtual car aside and shot the unsuspecting other Serpent back into second place for that, as she herself easily took the spot of first. 

She was rarely bested in the F1 Racing video game, played on the old Xbox console the pair frequently borrowed from some slightly older Serpents to sit around the small crappy TV Betty had in her trailer when there was no gang business going down and they were bored in the middle of the day. 

There were far worse ways for them to be spending their afternoons. 

"Hey, this isn't bumper cars, Betts!"  
  
Betty ignored her friend's shouted protest as he tried and failed to get himself back to first place by bumping her car back, the blonde physically shoved him with her hand not holding the controller in return.

"It sounded like you were doubting me." 

She didn't like the insinuating incredulousness. 

After a full week, the tall boy had finally stopped throwing his temper tantrums as she constantly shot down his plans to storm the Pembrooke after filling in the gang to the events of what happened—and now he was all gung-ho about Hiram Lodge's motives, plus giving her shit about not giving Veronica up for a bribe? 

Sweet Pea snorted, car still gaining on her on screen. "For five thousand and no work in return?" His eyebrows rose in visible wonder of how she even questioned him. "I'd doubt the goddamn pope, Betty." 

Betty chuckled. 

The amused deadpan in the older Serpent's voice made her relax, knowing he was only kidding before. 

Then the game paused with a single force of Sweet Pea's finger, she quizzically glanced from the screen at the tall boy who looked over at her, a rare warm expression across his face as he continued. 

"Seriously though, the princess is lucky to have you. I don't know a lot of people that probably would have done that for her, or any chick they were dating." 

Betty's heart panged a little at the thought of her girlfriend, being so close yet just out of reach since that night. 

It was painfully hard to stay away.

Strange someone had the ability to make her feel so unbelievable by just their presence. 

Veronica's love was entirely different from anything she had ever had. The beautiful girl liked to tease and made her laugh, cared for and comforted her like no other. 

She was stubborn for the things she wanted.

And Betty was so in love with it. 

With _her_ , from the very day they had met at the Whyte Wyrm. 

A warm look had made its way onto the blonde's own features at the mere thought before she could help it, she pleasantly patted her tall friend on his shoulder as she eyed him with a small smile. 

"Well, Veronica's not just any 'chick' that I'm dating. I love her, it's because _I'm_ the lucky one that I turned the money down in the first place." Her blue eyes softened of their own accord. "But thanks for saying that Sweet Pea, that really means a l-" 

Sweet Pea promptly shrugged the hand off, long annoyed groan quickly cutting her off as he turned away. "Okay, don't get all mushy and girly on me, you know you could have also just snatched the cash running _and_ kept the girl, Betts." He shook his head disbelievingly and muttered. "Stupid." 

Betty huffed in her own annoyance, pointedly returning her eyes to the screen reaching over and unpausing the game from the boy's controller— moment so clearly over. 

The blonde schemed in silent revenge, and purposely allowing the naive boy to gladly pass her in first as she discreetly powered up her speed boosters. "Stupid I might be, Pea...but at least I'm not-" She unexpectedly hit the boosters all at once, effectively shooting the car about to cross over the finish line to sky-high and her very own across instead. "A noob!" 

The cry was victorious as was her gaze taking in the gaping Sweet Pea and the scoreboard flashing across the screen, signaling game over with her in first and him in last. 

The blonde grinned and zestfully bobbed in her seat as the tall boy glowered and directed his inactive controller at her. 

"Oh, you just fucked up, blondie." He nodded back at the screen, eyes set in determination. " _Rematch_." 

Betty let her grin morph into a smirk, albeit cocky as she carelessly shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Pee Man." 

A finger just hovered over the restart button when her trailer burst open. 

With it came Fangs and Toni, carrying arms full of what one would definitely deem an unhealthy amount of chips and soda cans for a mere four people. 

"Oh hell yeah!" 

Sweet Pea whoops as expected when two family sized bags of Doritos land in his lap thrown to him by the new and sling-less Fangs. 

Both Betty and Toni grimaced as the taller boy immediately tore open the bags and began chewing lousily, heaps of crumbs flying out of his mouth and onto the mostly clean floor in the process. 

"You're such a slob, Pea. Blondie's mom is going to ban you again." 

Toni teased as she deposited the rest of the snacks onto the kitchen counter and made her way back over to the couch, hopping up to leisurely sit onto the back between its only two occupants. 

Betty couldn't help but to hum in agreement whilst grabbing for the Pepsi off her rickety coffee table and cracking one open. 

"I do what I want, gremlin." 

Sweet Pea grumbled with mouth still full of chips, indignantly chewing louder just to continue to annoy the small pink-haired girl as he faced away from her. 

It seemed to work remarkably as Toni glared bowling ball sized holes through the back of his head. 

Fangs laughed as he claimed his spot on the floor in front, passing Betty up her packet of m&ms. 

Betty shook him on his newly good shoulder gratefully as she set down her soda for the sweet packet, pressing him teasingly. "Where ya' been Fogarty? Thought you became a two-hand wonder again and forgot about us."

The answer was obvious. 

The blonde knew exactly where he'd been after being MIA for the last few days, as did everyone. 

Fangs shrugged, suddenly sheepish as he wrapped his arms around his knees pressed to his chest. "Well, you know Kevin..." A slight red painted to his cheeks. 

Betty wriggled her eyebrows, smirking. "Now that the sling is gone, can't keep his hands off you, huh?" She guessed knowingly. 

To which her friend's face got even redder, but his followed smug look told her everything else. 

Toni snorted from behind, bumping her slyly. "You seem to be talking from experience there, Betts." 

The blonde only shot her smirking look back at the shorter Serpent.

"Oh, you know the princess _definitely_ got frisky in the bedroom after Betty got her cast off." A loud scoff and chuckle sounded next to her ear. 

Fangs and Toni went cleverly quiet.

And all traces of amusement left Betty's features as she turned to give a hard look at the words. 

Sweet Pea recoiled, mouth dropping open as he scrambled to amend them. "I-I mean not that I want to be having this little Northsider girlfriend-boyfriend gossip session." He shot them all a telling glance and sighed. "Come on, it's bro _only_ time."

_Bro only time_

Betty and Toni exchanged rolled eyed glances while the tall boy's tone went a little bitter. 

"And now that Fangs is done ditching us to chase Keller's ass, pun intended, we can get back to gaming." He finished, retrieving his controller back from the cushions where he'd last sat it for snacking. 

Fangs smirked at the tone. "Aw, no need to be jealous, man. You know you'll always be my number one bud." He reached up and simultaneously tapped the other boy's leg tauntingly, smirk merely growing at the glare he received for it. 

Betty and Toni laughed. 

As Sweet Pea gripped the controller in his hands. "Fangs..." He warned lowly. 

"Fine." Fangs chuckled, but removed his hand before raising his eyebrows around the trailer in challenge. "But hey, I haven't been away long enough that I still don't remember how to kick your loser asses."

"Spoken like a true loser." Betty scoffed and immediately threw the cocky boy their third controller before holding up the fourth. "Topaz, you want in?" She tempted the other girl. 

"Nah." Toni arose to jog over and raid her ridge until she produced a half-drunk green Gatorade and plopped back down on the back of her couch with it. "I've got Sweet P-I mean _loser_." She mocked, snickering into the bottle. 

Betty and Fangs cracked up, while the pink-haired girl received a backwards middle finger from the fourth member of the group as their race was restarted with three players. 

Toni entertained in ignoring the gesture as she capped her drink and redirected her attention to the only blonde Serpent. "So, how's the princess doing? I haven't even seen her around with Cheryl these days." 

Betty's mood faltered at the change of subject, bitterly popping in a couple of m&ms as a result. "She's grounded." She grumbled, keeping steel eyes on screen as her car was passed by Fangs' in her agitation. "Indefinitely."

Grounded, her girlfriend was only allowed to school, back home, and to cheerleading practice after school on the days that permitted it. 

No more, no less— and absolutely no seeing her. 

Fangs whistled lowly in response, car falling back behind hers and ahead of Sweet Pea's. "Tough break."

Toni hummed to agree. "I'd be breathing fire if I couldn't see, Cheryl."

None of them had the great fortune to even know the concept of groundings— beatings were another thing. 

Betty silently clenched her controller, a reminder of the amount of self-control she had exerted that night. 

She would add Hiram Lodge on their list of asshole fathers anyway.

"Red would be the one breathing fire." Sweet Pea scoffed as he hit on his boosters, successfully knocking Fangs out of second and passing the blonde in first. "Crazy chick has already burned down her house, for you she'd probably set fire to the whole town."

Toni scowled, pushing into his back. "Careful, _Pee Man_."

The tall boy groaned. 

"Will anyone ever let that fucking go?" He grumbled, attempting to maneuver away from the pink-haired girl's smacks while keeping his focus on the game ahead. "I was only joking anyway, you know I think Blossom is pretty badass-ow! That was a compliment!"

"My girlfriend is a _great_ -ass, thank you!" 

Fangs glanced upward, eyes quickly flickering over and meeting Betty's with a hint of concern as both decided to ignore their two childishly arguing friends. 

"But you're still seeing her, right?"

Betty sighed. "Barely." She admitted quietly, relishing in a small spark of joy as she passed a scowling Sweet Pea's car in first to avoid momentarily not thinking about the matter before she continued her glowering at the screen. "We're being discreet about it." 

Sneaking into the Pembrooke was no longer deemed safe, nor was anywhere on the Southside or public places. It was usually Cheryl's or quick meetings in secret on the Northside that the couple had taken to on the days there were cheer practices— or days where Veronica told her parents there was 'cheer practice ' anyway— even so, there were only so many times a week the girls would be able to see each other under the pretense and neither were happy about it. 

"Okay, but weren't you two doing that before?" 

Fangs shot her a bizarre look the blonde picked up from the corner of her eye as he bypassed Sweet Pea's car and began gaining on her.

Sweet Pea snorted, having been otherwise absorbed back into the game before. "And got caught like amateurs." He joined in. 

Betty took her eyes off the TV to especially shoot a glare at the comment. "Yeah thanks, Pea." She clipped at his simple shrug and grumpily returned her gaze back to the race, rectifying. "We're just seeing each other less right now, anything else is just over text or short calls."

Hermione had drawn the line at having Veronica's phone taken away in case of emergencies, fortunately for them the girls had gotten to speak on the phone everyday since— unfortunately, they hadn't physically seen one another in three days and counting. 

Fangs casually nodded, slow and deliberatingly before he proposed his question. "Alright, so who's ass are we taking down first for this?" 

Betty shook her own head in objection, inwardly groaning at the umpteenth inevitable reaction she'd receive for it. 

"No one's yet." She answered shortly. 

"Wait, _seriously?_ " Fangs promptly paused their game to gape up at the blonde in disbelief, he glanced from Sweet Pea to Toni as both shrugged before blinking back at the girl. "Why not?" 

Toni's sigh reverberated around the trailer. "Easy." She answered dryly, clapping the taller girl on the shoulder. "Because blondie's gone soft." 

"A thousand percent true, Tiny." 

Sweet Pea bobbed his head in praise, then hastily reached down to unpause on the still motionless Fangs' controller and get back to the game. 

"No, I haven't gone soft." Betty frowned at the three shaking Toni's hand off her and hitting pause again on her own controller, ignoring the whine gained from Sweet Pea in her doing so. "Guys, this is Hiram Lodge we're talking about, not just some random mark." 

She had since deciphered if the man had truly done his research on her, he didn't have anything on her about _him_ , yet at least. 

"So what?" Fangs combatted fervently, eyebrows furrowed heatedly. "He's a douche and he had your trailer tagged, he threatened you, and us-" 

"And what? We go over there knives out and rough him up?" The blonde tossed her arms up in frustration, pushing away her own irritable feeling at the reminder of why they couldn't do just that and scoffed. "He'll just have us before we can reach the property line."

Fangs shrugged, not deviating. 

"Fine, so we go after who he hired to spray paint your trailer." He pressed.

"Can't." 

Sweet Pea interjected with a shake of his own head, slumping back onto the couch likely as they had yet to start the game back. 

"We don't know who he hired, that would backfire." 

Toni quickly followed before the shorter boy could open his mouth to further question. 

Betty knew the last thing they needed was FP and the other Serpents getting caught up in a feud fight against Hiram Lodge and Ghoulies because of love affairs. 

They were on their own. 

Betty retrieved the phone from her pocket and checked the time, scheduled time with her girlfriend had been scarce as it was. 

"The Ghoulies are territorial, you know that. Even if one of their crew are in the wrong, we accuse one and they'll retaliate against all of the Serpents." She spoke intently, tapping on the contact before sliding the device onto the middle of the coffee table. 

"So, we're _not_ kicking anyone's ass?" 

Fangs' question relented as he groaned mopily and dropped against the bottom of the couch.   
  
Sweet Pea outstretched and lightly pat him on the chest. "I feel you, dude."

Betty snorted. 

"Hey, I said _yet_ Fangy." She added to Sweet Pea's hand hitting at the boy's chest. "If we go into this with guns blazing, somebody might get hurt. I know you're not used to it, but we have to be smart about this."

"Says you." 

Fangs chuckled, minisculely perking back up a little at the small gibe while Betty unpaused the game, eliciting a droned 'finally' out of Sweet Pea as his car advanced hers. 

"So, what are we doing instead of ass kicking?" 

Toni spoke up, snatching a Dorito bag off the tall boy's lap, unhearing to his feeble protests he had to focus to race. 

Betty snickered before answering. 

"Me, Veronica, and Andrews are going to the station today to find all the dirt the Sheriff has on the Black Hood. If some shady stuff about V's dad happens to come up there and _also_ from his home office, we'll have some leverage to get him to back off us and the entirety of the Southside."

Toni tilted her head, throwing chips into her mouth as she lounged back. 

"Not a bad idea."

"Almost genius, if you don't get caught." Sweet Pea agreed. 

Betty smirked.

"Thank you." She chanced a mirthful glance down at her entirely too silent cell phone. "All credit goes to my genius girlfriend."

Fangs frowned in surprise. "Wait, this was Veronica's idea? She's actually good with this?" 

_"Good with it, came up with it, and approves it, Fangy."_

A cheery voice, sweet as candy rung from the tabled phone throughout the small trailer, unexpected by all but one. 

Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni all jump at once to glance around. 

Betty snickered. 

"Hey there, stranger." The blonde grinned lovingly, car passing the boys on screen in their temporary distraction. 

_"Baby."_

Her girlfriend's voice sounded again, her smile could clearly be heard in the countered pet name.

Both girls were discreetly giddy in their missing of the other, or not-so discreetly with their formerly on edge friend's scoffs in response. 

Fangs grumbled particularly loudly about the nickname the brunette had mimicked upon him as he pressed down on buttons harder and faster— leaving Sweet Pea in last place and cursing under his breath to keep up. 

"Just for that your girlfriend's going down, princess!" The shorter boy grunted.

Betty snorted as retort. "Your _mom's_ going down." 

"Ohhhhhhh!" 

Sweet Pea and Toni shouted in unison, purposely overly obnoxious to Fangs irritation. 

"Roasted!" Sweet Pea bellowed. 

"That's a burn not even Aveeno Sunscreen could soothe!" Toni followed up, nearly taking a plunge off the back of the couch in her own self-laughter. 

Fangs growled, gaining on the blonde in his frustration. "Don't you talk about my mom, Betts! You _know_ she's a sensitive topic!" 

_"Can't we all just peacefully get along without bringing each other's moms into it."_

Veronica was giggling over the phone, clearly amused at all their antics. 

The pleasing sound had become less frequent to Betty's ears the past week, bringing an even wider smile to her features and more-so making worth it as Fangs slid into first place in his feelings, and then a riled up Sweet Pea in succession. 

"Oh no princess, peace was never an option." The older Serpent differed eagerly, fingers flying across buttons just a little faster than Betty and Fangs' attempts to catch up to him. 

_"I'd be very hopefully right to assume that you four are playing childish video games in the middle of the day?"_

Fangs scowled, affronted at the TV. " _Academic_ video games in the middle of the day."

Sweet Pea's dignified huff joined him. 

"Yeah boo hoo, someone has to be in classes instead of dropping out because their school never became a drug lab for Jingle Jangle and she has at least one actually decent parent." 

Betty rolled her eyes and adore in knowing her girlfriend was doing something of the same manner miles away. 

"Dumbasses." The blonde shook her head.

Toni frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be at school with Cher and Kev right now, Lodge?"

 _"There is such a thing called school lunch, Topaz."_

Veronica responded obviously. 

They could all clearly hear the hustle and bustle on the other end if they listened close, undoubtedly the traffic of a hundred Northside teenagers going about their mundane school schedules. 

_"And that also means I've got twenty on my baby winning, fyi."_

The brunette whooped. 

Betty smirked delighted, as Fangs huffed. 

"You're so on, Lodge." 

"I think you might just have a gambling problem, babe." 

The blonde chuckled to her girlfriend's haughty 'humphf' over the line, just as dramatic as Fangs'. 

"Nah princess." Sweet Pea pivoted his head, though the brunette couldn't see him. "Betts is just scared she's going to lose." He goaded smugly, getting cocky in first place. 

Annoyed, Betty easily hit his car spinning off the road and back into third, truly bumping him and his car down a peg, much to the tall boy's humorous protests. 

_"I have faith in my girl, Sweet Pea. You and Fangs are the ones going down."_

Veronica's voice was stern and playful, and with too great of an adamancy for someone with a complete lack of interest in 'childish' video games and entirely too much belief in the blonde's abilities. 

Hiram Lodge was so wrong. 

Betty's heart warmed and pulsed with motivation, pushing her fingers fast enough to surpass a disgruntled Fangs and take back her place of first. 

It seemed her girlfriend was also her good luck charm. 

"Thanks, babe." She brightened, then eyebrows immediately furrowing as a thought struck her while she also attempted to concentrated on maintaining her place. "Are we still meeting up at Andrews' place later?" 

'Cheer practice' would initiate at the redheaded boy's place, considering they would use his truck getting to the police station and it was one of the few places Hiram or any of his 'sources' would think to find them together. 

Much to Betty's chagrin alone. 

_"About that..."_

Veronica's hesitancy could be heard. 

Betty briefly paused, taking keen note of her girlfriend's sudden tone. "What's up, babe?"

 _"...Cheryl actually did call for a cheer meeting today, so I'm going to be a little late to Archie's."_

The Serpent blinked blankly, no longer seeing the game on the television in front of her— the implication of the brunette's words hit her. 

"Uh, _what now?_ " 

If Veronica would be late.

Then that would mean Betty would be...

Stuck. Alone. With Andrews. Alone. 

The blonde all but fumbled for the phone across the table, dropping the controller in her hands in the hasty process. 

Her virtual car crashed and burned, as did her would-be win with Sweet Pea sliding into second place and Fangs sliding into first over the finish line. 

Good luck charm her ass. 

The boys began celebrating, and Toni dying laughing. 

"Whoop! Hell yeah!" 

Sweet Pea roared in victory as he jumped up from the couch. 

"Eat shit, Cooper!" Fangs laughed, high-fiving the taller boy as he jumped up alongside him. 

Betty ignored them all for focusing on her girlfriend's beautiful, currently unease-inducing voice. 

_"...you just lost, right?"_   
  
"V...babe...how late?" 

The blonde questioned cautious and slowly, dreading the answer a lot more than the teasing and taunting from her friends at that very moment. 

_"Oh, just a little...um, you know, actually Betty, that sounds like the bell ringing early today."_

Betty shook her head firmly, dread increasing as she sat ramrod straight. "Veroni-" 

_"Sorry, gotta go babe, I love you. I'll pay you later, Fangy. Bye guys."_

The words barely got out before the call ended. 

Betty dropped her phone, groaning into her hands much to her idiotic riends amusement as they burst out laughing and clapped her on the back.

Toni all-too happily snatched up her fallen controller as the blonde slouched against the cushions and vowed brooding for the rest of the afternoon until she got to finally see her girlfriend. 

_Not_ the good-natured redheaded boy-next-door who gave off strange vibes with the girl she loved, yet wasn't even asshole enough for her to justifiably punch a single time.

Ensue awkwardness. 

...

"So...uh, nice room." 

"Oh um, thanks, er thanks..." 

Silence.

Betty sat frigidly at the very edge of the unfamiliar bed she sat, hands awkwardly placed on knees.

The blonde was the uncomfortable mirror image of Archie sat on the opposite edge of his own bed. 

Tension ran between them.

As it turned out, her girlfriend's a 'little late' meant an entire _half hour_ late. 

Fred Andrews at least wasn't a huge tool for a Northsider, the man had let her into his home with absolute pleasure. 

Betty wished he hadn't.

She had spent the first ten minutes with arms crossed uncomfortably standing in the corner of the redhead's room before he offered her a seat like some stupid gentleman. 

The blonde exhaled a tiresome breath in the quiet air as an instrument perched near the boy's window boredly caught her eyes. 

"You play guitar?"

"Yeah I do, sometimes." Archie's features seemed to finally light up at the possible start of conversation, his eyes flickered from her to the instrument and back to her with sudden interest. "You play?"

Betty pursed her lips. "Well...no." She winced. 

Archie visibly deflated. "Oh." 

Silence again. 

The blonde fought a groan, regrettably notioning the only thing her and the redhead probably had in common were their tastes in girls. Or _one_ amazing girl in particular. 

Didn't exactly breed best friendship right off the bat. 

Betty shifted uncomfortably on the mattress and glanced idly around the room, eyebrows perking back up landing on an Xbox gaming system next to a expensive looking TV set. 

"I didn't know you liked video games. Me, Pea, Fangs, and Toni play F1 Racing all the time."

Maybe the two did have more than one thing in common. 

"Do..." She switched her gaze back to the redhead, trailing off at the grimace on his face and speaking knowingly herself. "And you don't have that one, do you?" 

Archie shrugged guiltily, intertwining his hands in his lap. 

"Never really got into it."

Betty sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Ah." 

More silence rang on. 

"Play Madden?"

Betty shook her head drearily. 

"Sports aren't really my thing, Andrews." 

Archie nodded quickly. "I get it. Yeah. That's cool, it's not for everyone." 

The blonde closed her eyes.

_Whatever, anything to rid the awkward silence_

She re-opened her eyes and cleared her throat. 

"I mean I could try though." 

"Oh..." Archie paused to grimace even the more in her direction. "Actually, um, see I was kind of hoping you'd say no, my systems been updating for like two hours with an hour to go, so..." 

Then Betty no longer fought off her loud groan. 

"Great."

The blonde cursed lowly and could have sworn she heard the redhead echo back through the excruciating tension as they intentionally looked away from the other, more or less taking in view of the room instead. 

As Betty began digging through the worn leather of her jacket for her phone— not willing to endure another lifelong half hour and debating between calling her girlfriend or just simply getting up from the bed and leaving— in the room swept the _decidedly_ good luck charm herself. 

Veronica leant casually up against the doorframe, greeting sarcastic at the tension that practically met her there. 

"Seriously guys? What a snooze fest." She smirked, looking down at the seated pair. 

Both Betty and Archie's eyes lit in equal relief, springing up and practically jumping at the brunette stood in the doorway. 

Veronica's eyes slightly widened at the haste, she knew things were still a little iffy but not run her down terrible. 

"Woah, okay geez sorry I'm late." 

The brunette raised her hands as her dark eyes met the sparkling blue ones of her love's first, pulling her in both mentally and physically. 

"Hey you." She grabbed tightly onto the blonde's lapels as their lips met for the first time in three days, filled with all the love, fear, and longing from their time away before she slowly drew off grinning up lovingly. "I missed you." 

"Hi." Betty whispered back into the brunette's ear as she fastly pulled the girl into her arms, love impossibly swelling even the more at her badly timed arrival. "I really missed you too, but seriously _never_ leave me alone with him ever again." 

Veronica snorted and rolled her eyes, meeting the boys' standing awkwardly with his hands stuffed in his pockets over Betty's shoulder. 

"Arch." She greeted brightly as she reluctantly drew out of her girlfriend's embrace and pulled him in instead. 

"Ronnie." 

Archie greeted her back just as bright, smiling as she pulled away and rose a questioning eyebrow between him and her subtle but anxiously awaiting girlfriend. 

"Ready for this?" 

They looked to each other, each remembering the plan. 

Betty nodded first, slipping her hand firmly into hers. "As ever."

Then Archie nodded too with a small puff of preparation. "What she said." He nodded through the door behind the girls inquiringly. "I'm gonna go tell my dad I'm leaving, meet you guys outside?" 

Veronica and Betty both acknowledged, though were already quite engaged with the image of one another as they let the redhead slip pass them and exit his own room. 

Finally left alone with only the boy's fading footsteps to be heard between the couple was quiet for a while as they stared back into one another's affectionate gazes. 

Then Betty opened her mouth and pointed an accusing finger at her girlfriend. 

"That was fucking brutal. How cruel of you, Veronica Lodge."

"God Betty, I didn't do it on purpose." Veronica giggled at the blonde's dramatics as she wrung them around and also started through the door. "It couldn't have been that bad."

Betty huffed. "No, it was much _worse_." She yelped quietly as they walked the corridor throughout the nice home.

Hearing the steady stream of giggles emerging out her girlfriend still powerlessly caused the blonde to glance over and grin. 

"I'm sorry, baby." 

Veronica leaned up and pecked her love multiple times in soft make up kisses anyway, squeezing their joint hands. 

Betty's annoyance instantaneously melted away. 

Veronica knew it too, though the blonde scoffed at the brunette's smug expression. 

Both had begun to miss one another too much to grow even a little upset at the other over the past week. 

"High-heeled boots, babe?" 

Amidst checking her girlfriend out, the Serpent had noticed their subtle few inches of height difference normally in her favor in the brunette's own and narrowed her eyes down at the hazardous shoe choice. 

"Don't like them?" 

Veronica retorted eyebrows rose, amused at the genuine scolding tone heard in the blonde's voice as they crossed the home's threshold and reached cool outside air. 

Frowning, Betty stopped them on the Andrews' front lawn and took both the brunette's hands in hers. 

"You look beautiful Veronica." She amended, the fact a no-brainer even as she pressed. "But how many times have I told you heels aren't a practical foot wear for stealth? What if we need to make a quick escape?" 

Veronica pouted. 

She knew the blonde was right, and recent sneaking around adventures behind her father's back _had_ required plenty of reminders, still...

"But Betty-Bear..." 

Betty instantly groaned at the cheesy nickname, head dramatically dropping much to the brunette's increased inner amusement— her pout disappearing as her lips powerlessly curled upwards. 

"These are technically high-heeled ankle _boots_ , they're Louboutin." She continued, poking playfully demanding into her girlfriend's shoulder. "And if all goes to plan there should be no running, right?" 

Betty nodded, agreeing albeit uneasily. 

_She wasn't guilty of anything, so why would she?_

"Still..." The blonde warily trailed and squinted up at the bright sun to avoid her girlfriend's curious gaze. 

Veronica's head tilted skeptically, concern falling on her features as she lifted her love's eyes back to her own with a gentle hand to her cheek. "You're scared?" She closely guessed.

"No." Betty grumbled stubbornly, then hesitated. "That place just...gives me the heebie-jeebies." 

"Baby, we'll be fine." 

Veronica assured quickly, affectionately placing both hands on the blonde's cheeks at the bashful admission, small smile tugging back on her lips as she knew exactly what it would take to affirm her words. 

"Just play the part, stall until I give my signal, and act cool." 

She took a purposeful subtle shot at her girlfriend's ego and waited expectedly for the result, peripheral spying Archie appearing out of the house and engaged in locking the door behind him as her blonde's eyebrows furrowed. 

"I'm _always_ cool." Betty corrected vehemently, pointing thumbs at herself before they slowly fell and she hesitantly searched her girlfriend's amused gaze. "Am I not...always cool?" 

"I don't know..." 

Veronica tapped a mocking finger to chin, looking away in quiet indifference as increased dread grew on the Serpent's face— before she re-met her love's wide blue eyes and smirked. 

"You're pretty _hot_ sometimes." She pecked the Serpent's cheek smoothly then reached behind, returning the favor from the week before and slapping her girlfriend's ass. 

As he made to join them the brunette caught a unsuspecting Archie's arm and dragged him towards his parked truck in the driveway, teasing look thrown as she passed her blonde in-shock. 

Betty gaped after the haughty girl a beat, then grinned involuntarily. Another beat and she cleared her throat and straightened herself _coolly_ — definitely not blushing for Andrews' entire neighborhood to see, or bearing a newfound confidence in her step as she made her way behind. 

...

Considering the last time Veronica had been present on the site there was a riot raging on outside the doors, it was to her relief as she stepped foot inside the quiet building that the town's police station was fairly empty and very few officers moved about on what seemed to be a perfectly slow Wednesday afternoon. 

Perfect for diversion. 

"So, interested in cleaning up the trash from Riverdale's river banks and forest areas, huh?" 

The Sheriff stood behind the front desk looking down at the brunette on the other side with his hands rested on his hips.

He eyed her with approval and Veronica only felt a slight pinch of guilt that volunteer work wasn't in her genuine motives— then again, she was almost certain ridding a serial murderer from a town he couldn't himself carry out permitted her. 

She plastered on her best charming smile and shrugged, casually pattering her hands along the desk. 

"Well you know me Sheriff, always happy to help out."

Sheriff Keller nodded admiringly while smiling. "Willing to take action and better her community." He released a hand from his police belt and pointed a single digit at her. "We need more responsible and goal-oriented teenagers like you around here, Veronica."

Veronica pointed a accusing finger back at the man, playfully narrowing her eyes. 

"Oh well now if you're just saying that to try and have me recruit Kevin into muddying up his precious penny loafers, I'm sorry Sheriff, but not even _I'm_ that goal-oriented." 

The Sheriff's deep laughter echoed throughout the mostly silent department, only matched by her softer and much faker giggling before he waved a hand at her. 

"Oh no, I wouldn't have you suffer." He chuckled and made his way from behind the desk. "Come on, I have the volunteer forms in my office." 

Veronica's eyes deliberatedly trailed him all wide, innocent, and hesitant as the man began striding towards the single door adjacent to the open office she had already pegged as her target point. 

"Are you sure?" She shook her head nonchalantly, making a show of gluing herself to the reception top. "I can really just stay out here."

Sheriff Keller faced her and frowned. "Nonsense, Veronica. They're just a couple of forms, c'mon." He gestured for her to follow, giving the brunette no choice. 

Veronica entered first into the private office space with the man in tow and breathed a silent sigh of relief at her luck after a quick subtle glance around. 

It was a simple empty space. One window. Boring beige walls. 

And no cameras. 

Not even a single monitor. 

As much as she hated to admit it, her father might have been dreadfully right about their town— in that it was desperately in need of better funding.

"Pardon the mess here. Now where are those keys..." 

The Sheriff went behind his desk as she stood in front, carelessly pushing to the side countless disorganized files as his eyes searched the surface until he found what he was looking for. 

"Ah." The man sighed in satisfaction as he finally snatched up a set of keys that the brunette made sure to zero closely in on as he went about ducking and sticking one into a random file drawer next to his desk. 

Veronica's fingers itched at her sides for the first time as she anticipatedly took watch outside the single office window. 

_Any moment now..._

"Alright." 

The Sheriff came back up and the brunette whipped her head back around— swiftly enough her head spun dizzily watching a volunteer form and pen slide across to her.

Whilst Veronica pretended her world wasn't doing rapid somersaults, she picked up the pen and subtly leaned up against the desk. 

Not _unsurprisingly_ , Sheriff Keller didn't take any notice as he promptly began pointing the form's blank sections out to her. 

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to fill out here and here, signature at the bottom and then you'll be all se..." 

Then came Veronica's timely distraction in the form of shouts, though muffled, somehow still clear enough to cut the man clean off. 

"Hey!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" 

Both the brunette and Sheriff had spun at the disturbance, peering through the window they could just glimpse two closely arguing figures out on the parking lot. 

Veronica would almost call herself impressed at the effort put into the performance— had it been any other two people— but her dark eyes did widen quite a bit as well as the grip tightened to the pen in her hand as Betty swung and almost 'hit' Archie, the redhead dodging just in time to miss the blonde's feral fist. 

It was all help to sell the part she trusted, though as the brunette side-eyed the man suddenly coming around the desk to stand next to her and get a closer view out the window, he had notably already been sold.

"What in sam hell?" Sheriff Keller's eyebrows furrowed, his features darkening as he tossed his keys back onto the desk and looked to her quickly. "You finish that form, I'll be right back." 

She barely had time to blink, no less respond before the Sheriff turned his back on her and rushed out of the office. 

"Officer Townson, you're with me!" The man barked and bent a finger in the air at a seated obvious rookie officer, the uniformed woman nearly stumbling from her cubicle to follow her superior from the station and into the situation. 

With not so much as a hesitant glance back at her. 

Veronica bit down on her lip to hide a smirk, with a slight of her head into view of the rest of the station she made sure the coast was clear as she meticulously relinquished the pen in her hands for the Sheriff's abandoned set of keys.

The brunette slowly made her way behind the wood desk, dropping completely out of sight and pulling out her cell. 

Their plan was simple. 

She would look for the files labeled Black Hood and Lodge, capture their pictures and get out. 

While Betty and Archie provided for her distraction. 

If only the Sheriff didn't have a million keys. 

Veronica sighed after she tried just five keys into the first file drawer among the six unlabeled cabinets the Sheriff had lined up next to his desk and none opened. 

The brunette knew she would have to act fast, all the more as she heard the unmistakable sounds of her girlfriend and Archie being dragged into the station.

Right on time.

It was then that the girl's smirk stretched, mindlessly thrusting keys into cabinets in her haste she mused the little script she had written for the pair may be so ridiculous that it might just work.

  
-

"I know who the Black Hood is! It's her!"

Archie struggled in the Sheriff's hold on him as he was pushed inside the station, it was right alongside Betty being held struggling in a rookie officer's hold.

"Am not!" The blonde vocally shouted back at the 'furious' redhead, 'furious' herself as she and the boy were dragged around to a vacant part of the office by the scene they were causing. 

"Are too!"

"Am-"

A shrill whistle cut into the air. 

Betty and Archie both cringe back in the officer's arms that held them, their shouts instantly put to an end as the Sheriff glared between them and bellowed.

"The both of you sit down and be quiet!" 

After being forced to slump down in separate cubicles, though opposite of one another, the two teenagers made sure to hold each other's glares as they were questioned.

"Now, you're telling us that _she_ is the Black Hood?" 

The officer, Townson, Betty uninterestedly read the woman's name tag as she placed herself between their cubicles and looked down at Archie first in disbelief. 

"Son, you do know the Black Hood is a man, tall build, with green eyes?" 

Sheriff Keller's face was in equal disbelief while he stood next to his rookie, also blatantly ignoring the Serpent. 

Betty rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. 

The Sheriff frowned deeply at the boy, continuing to press. 

"I don't understand, you described him to me yoursel-" 

"It's her, I swear!" 

Archie quickly cut the man off, pointing accusingly at the glowering blonde and still shouting at the top of his lungs like a nut. 

Betty threw out a hand and incredulously scoffed. " _See?_ " She looked up at the law enforcers critically and spat. "He's losing it." 

The Sheriff simply threw her back a sharp warning glance— familiar enough to the blonde that it reluctantly quieted her, making her look away, on edge fingers itch at her sides. 

The man then moved away, sharp glance easing, hand placing itself firmly on Archie's shoulder. 

"I think that maybe you need to take a few steps away from this Black Hood case, Archie. It sounds this is putting too much pressure on you." 

Archie vigorous shook his head and making the hand fall off him as he pleaded upward at the Sheriff.

"B-But I'm telling you Sheriff, she _is_ him! I saw it myself!" He exclaimed in full confidence. 

Betty groaned loudly, lulling her head back and then forward again. "God this is insane! Obviously I'm not the Black Hood." She argued, before suddenly leaning forward rubbing her hands together with a conniving smirk. "I'm his _accomplice_."

Archie's eyes widened, frightening at the hiss as he made a show of yelping and jumping back in his seat. 

Betty snorted out a laugh. 

Only interrupted by an exasperated sigh drawn out of Sheriff Keller, marching over and forcing her back to the back of her chair— the blonde going begrudgingly as Officer Townson did the same to Archie. 

The Sheriff continued glaring at her, voice hardening. " _You_ knock it off." He then reeled his head towards the startled redheaded boy. "And _you_ quiet for now."

Both teens listened— though still scowling at one another as the Sheriff Keller scratched the top of his head and breathed out in the brief moment of silence.

Betty mused and inwardly entertained in the man's visible bewilderment and frustration with the situation, all shown on his features as his head turned down on her. 

"Now what exactly happened from your point of view, Betty?" His voice was low, less harsh but bordering on mild tolerance for any of her shit. 

So, Betty opted for the 'truth'. 

The blonde huffed indignantly. 

"I was just outside, walking pass and minding my own business when all of a sudden _he_ decides to come up shouting crazy presumptions at me." She shrugged nonchalantly, reaching into her jacket's pocket and drawing out a black ski mask, seamlessly sliding it on. "Oh, and I was wearing this." 

"The Black Hood!" 

Archie, again, bellowed out in alarm, fear stricken eyes on her masked features as he pointed yet another accusing finger at the blonde. 

The very three words had every officer in the office whipping around and grabbing for their holsters.

Despite her small bit of nerves, Betty just barely held in a laugh at the priceless faces surrounding her— she wasn't the only one— the blonde didn't think the abrupt up and down movements of the other teen's chest was of genuine fright either. 

It wasn't until the frustrated Sheriff had put his hand up into the air in a stop motion that any of the officers seemed to relax and go back to what they were doing, the man then dropping his head and squeezing at the bridge of his nose. 

"No. She is not." He decreed to the stiffened redheaded boy and didn't even look up as he ordered her. "Betty, take that off. Now."

Betty grumbled but slipped the mask off and shoved it back into her pocket as she crossed her arms back, letting annoyance show.

Archie's shoulders dropped, letting relief show in in contrast. "Oh..." He breathed dopily.

The Sheriff picked his head up, slightly red in his visible irritation and gestured to the mask-less Serpent in follow up.

"You see?" He pressed. 

Betty and Archie made quick eye contact. 

That was as far as they had gotten in their limited script. 

_So where was Veronica?_

The blonde felt worry crawl its way inside the pit of her stomach while the redhead's eyes flickered over her shoulder to the private door where she knew her girlfriend was and subtly shook his head. 

_Stall_ , her intense gaze read in response. 

"She almost punched me." 

Archie blurted, improvising to her look with one of his own. Follow my lead

The Sheriff and officer's heads turn on the Serpent. 

" _Almost._ " 

Betty scoffed, avidly playing along as she defended herself to the accusatory looks she was receiving. 

"And only because he looked like he was ready to hit me first!" 

"I was not!" Archie frowned indignantly, raising a bit from his chair in defensive. 

To which the blonde tsked and shook her head sagely.

"You know violence is never the answer, Archie." She advocated, mockingly serious expression met with the boy's glare. 

Officer Townson nodded oblivious. "She's right." The woman sounded mildly impressed with the girl. 

Sheriff Keller rolled his eyes. 

"She's a Serpent and she's pulling your leg, Townson." He reprimanded the rookie as he cautioned her sternly. "That's what they do." 

Realization washed over the woman's face as she turned a glare down on the Serpent. 

Betty merely smirked and shrugged innocently. 

The Sheriff ignored them both, for carefully crouching in front the seated Archie instead with features less hardened. "Listen Archie. You're not acting like yourself son, maybe we need to make a phone call to your father..."

" _No._ " 

Archie's eyes went to slightly wide once again. Legitimately. 

Betty grimaced. 

"No?" Sheriff Keller's eyebrows had furrowed, slowly stood from his crouched position with hands on hips to eye the boy skeptically. 

Betty's eyes narrowed as the redhead's gaze shot to over her shoulder and back at her pointedly— relief filled the blonde as she imagined her girlfriend waving out at him per their signal, escaping to the truck in wait for them. 

"Uh, n-no, I..." Archie blinked, troubled features strangely clearing up as he stared up at the baffled man. "I think, I'm good now. I don't see it anymore."

Officer Townson looked unconvinced. "You're sure?" 

Archie shot her a tight small smile. "Positive." He stood quickly to his feet, both officers watching him albeit cautiously while the redhead scratched the back of his neck and plastered on an embarrassed expression. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking...I'm sorry, Betty." 

Betty rolled her eyes and stood too, ignoring the officers that watched her even the more cautiously. "Apology accepted, whatever." She huffed to seem uncaring, avoiding the look of the slightly surprised and more than a little suspicious Sheriff. 

"Sheriff, I..." 

Archie's guilt swiveled the man's attention temporarily off her, the blonde witnessing him immediately yield to the boy and stave off the redhead's apologies. 

"No. It's fine, son. This is getting to everyone." The Sheriff assured, though the Serpent easily picked up on his tone of all hesitance. "Just...try and leave it to us, we're going to get him." He promised the boy determinedly. 

Betty fought another eye roll, not believing it for a moment. 

Archie attentively nodded. 

The Sheriff patted him on the back. "And don't worry, I won't let your father know about this." He reasoned and began walking the redhead away to the station doors, leaving the blonde behind. "You're a good kid, but get some rest and take it easy from now on, alright? No more stressing and provoking Serpents." 

Archie looked up at him, obliging appreciatively. "Thank you, Sheriff. I will, I promise." 

Sheriff Keller let him go with a short nod, the redhead only having gotten halfway through the door while the man casted a worried glance after him before he spun around sharply. 

"As for you." 

Betty had sarcastically bowed to the unimpressed Officer Townson, making to hastily follow in Archie's footsteps and stopped when the Sheriff intentionally stepped in her path. 

"Am I not free to go too?" She smiled harmlessly tilting her head, a facade to her inner instinct wanting to escape the vicinity before any one of the reproachful eyes she felt burning into her leather tried to keep her. Her eyebrows rose defensive. " _He_ falsely accused _me_ , you know?" 

The Sheriff sighed both disapprovingly and reluctant. 

"You can go." He shot her a stern look. "Just stay out of trouble." 

Weird, she kept hearing that lately. 

"Yes sir." 

Betty retorted the two words with as much sarcasm as she could muster before she sidestepped the man, not having to see his expression to know he would be just as doubtful at the pledge as she— and proven as the blonde was centimeters to fleeing through the open doors when she felt a firm hand grip onto her shoulder, firmly stopping her in her tracks once again. 

"You're better than him, Betty." 

Sheriff Keller's words rung quiet, yet strongly in her ear. 

It made the Serpent pause, tensing for longer than a few beats before forcefully snatching her shoulder from the man's grasp and walking out of the station without another word. 

From then the same worried glance that followed Archie, followed her too.

...

Later, the Sheriff would walk into his office to check on the brunette he had left there, only to find the girl missing, her incomplete volunteer form remained on his desk along with everything else in its same place. Furthering his bewilderment, the man would witness a truck peeling off the lot through his window that he could have sworn contained three familiar looking   
he had encountered over the past half hour. 

That Cooper girl was up to something he knew, the apple didn't fall far from the tree he supposed, though immediately dismissed taking action less he had a group of Southside Serpents up his ass. Again. 

Tom Keller simply concluded his tired mind was playing tricks on him as he shook his head and slumped down at his desk, cracking open yet another flimsy file on the rampant serial killer he had running loose in his town and pushing down all suspicious thought of any other matter. 

...

It didn't take long after deserting the police station in their truck of transport, the trio started laughing out of sheer luck their plan was an actual success and didn't completely go up in horrific flames. 

"Okay, that was a little more fun than I thought It'd be." 

Betty chuckled while sitting back on the on the passengers side with Veronica in the middle between herself and Archie sat at the wheel. 

The light mood in the vehicle could be seen on all three teen's faces. 

The Serpent was especially in a better mood after putting the Sheriff's parting words out of her mind, having successfully pulled one over on the man and his badge lackeys put an abrupt end to her original anger. 

Veronica looked to the blonde with an incredulous excited gaze. "Are you kidding, Betty? That was one of the most thrilling things I've ever done." She breathed, admittedly having gotten a rush from the days events. 

Betty just grinned cheekily and tossed an arm around her girlfriend's seat. "Well, babe, you just keep spending your sweet time with me and there'll be more where that came from." She promised, winking flirtatiously. 

As if she really had to persuade Veronica twice.

The brunette snorted leaning up and brushing her nose up against the blonde's, then pressing their lips together in a quick passionate kiss before drawing away with a grin of her own. 

"Oh, I'll be sure of that." She flirted back, fluttering eyelashes rather proudly at the Serpent. "Just hearing you guys acting was a gift, thanks to _me_." 

"Yeah you're fucking brilliant, V." Betty scoffed, though she thought the girl cute while cocky and squeezed her arm around her. "I love you." She followed softly, certainly unaware of the expression she was sporting. 

Unlike Veronica, who was very aware of the complete awed look she was receiving from the blonde, the brunette's cheeks tinted a bit as she leaned in to peck her love on the lips once more. 

"I love you too." Her grin stretched, eyes glittering as she stared up at the blonde who returned the same look. 

It lasted about a second before a third voice awkwardly cleared next to them. 

Veronica gradually drew off the blonde though stayed within her arm, guiltily looking over at her neglected redheaded friend driving them. 

Betty didn't share her girlfriend's guilt however and simply shot a probing glance over at the boy before directing her sights back out her side window. 

"You weren't half bad in there yourself, Andrews." She reluctantly admitted, gaze returned when she felt a hand fall over her leg and squeeze. 

Veronica's eyebrows were rose at the blonde in delightful surprise, and even Archie's as he temporarily took his eyes off the rode to smile, returning the unexpected compliment. 

"Thanks, but I won't take all the credit. That ski mask idea was a nice touch." He joked. 

It made the trio laugh again, this time with Betty's hand entangling over the one in her lap and Veronica shooting her blonde a proud look. 

But once they had calmed down, Archie's eyebrows had furrowed a cross between still amused and skeptical whilst he briefly met the eyes of the Serpent over her girlfriend's head. 

"Hey, so were you seriously going to hit me out there in that parking lot? Because you came pretty close..." 

Betty smirked.

In actuality, the blonde had came _really_ close— catching Archie by surprise with the improvised swing, only having ducked out of the way just in time. 

The Serpent had of course swung slower than she normally would in an actual fight, merely to provoke the Sheriff off his do-nothing ass and out of the station, but the redhead's expression _had_ been hilarious to say the least. 

"'Course not." She flicked her blue eyes playfully and purposely full of deceit over at the boy. 

Archie's expression seemed to sink warily at her smirking features before he nodded clearly unconvinced and quietly looking away. 

Betty groaned, nearly facepalming the susceptible Northsider couldn't take a joke or jibe— nor, apparently, tell the difference in one. 

Veronica purposely pushed into her love's side.

Which the blonde honestly didn't mind— if not for the sharp elbow and matching stern look also given at her teasing. 

" _Okay_." She yielded, leaning down and pecking her girlfriend's cheek to placate her before she reached out an awaiting fist that went passed the brunette with her free hand. "I was only kidding, Andrews. We're good, obviously." 

Archie glanced between the blonde, the fist, and then at the girl beside him.

Veronica nodded at him encouragingly. 

Only then did the Archie's full genuine smile return, directed at Betty, who halfheartedly gave it back as the redhead took a single hand off the wheel to graciously share in the Serpent's fist bump. 

A single moment of truce. 

"Aw look at this, the two of you!" Veronica all but squealed eyes alight and beaming, arms coming around both the redhead and blonde to pull them in closer with herself squeezed between them. 

"My favorite people getting along..." The brunette crossed her arm over her girlfriend in order to wipe away a fake tear. 

"Okay, Ronnie." Archie chuckled, shaking his head out of her tight grasp very closely obstructing his view of the road ahead of him. 

"Yeah, yeah. You just got those pictures, right?" 

Betty had tried more for the annoyed expression thrown at her girlfriend, though with the cute smile on her face it didn't quite take— much to Veronica's amusement. 

As the brunette fished out her cell from her pockets, throwing both arms around the blonde's shoulders and head against hers so that the girl could view her screen, she silently decided the pair decent actors when it came to the police yet humorously terrible at acting to her like they weren't growing on each other. 

Betty swiped through the phone and scanned the various taken pictures of files with seemingly endless important words, becoming impressed. 

"This is a lot of information..." 

The blonde surmised the Sheriff knew more about the Black Hood, and apparently Hiram Lodge, than the group and likely the entire town had originally thought. 

Veronica hummed up against her cheek. "But will it actually be useful is the question, babe." She murmured, reminding that they had yet to even read any of the actual details. 

"What took you so long in there anyway?" 

Betty's gaze had snapped completely from the phone over at Archie's voice sounding again, much closer than it was before— as she quickly realized because _he_ was much closer than before, the boy attempting to lean over and see what they were seeing. 

All while keeping one eye on the road and being just maybe entirely too close to her girlfriend. 

So, sue her. Truce or no truce. 

"Dude, eyes on the road!" 

The blonde's eyes widened and she shouted maybe just a bit too loudly. 

Veronica flinched away, which might have been the only regret the Serpent had as she watched Archie jump and clumsily jerk at the wheel— having backed off the brunette by a mile but almost swerving them all into a smaller oncoming car driving on the other side of the road. 

When the opposite driver pissedly leaned on their horn in its race pass them, Betty mused it was well-deserved until her girlfriend and the redheaded driver murderously turned on her. 

" _'Dude'_." Archie mocked her way, gripped hands wheel and sucking in shallow breaths with eyes peeled at the rode like never before. "Don't shout it!" He hissed. 

Betty simply offered him a shrug, purely amused and apologetically unapologetic.

Only when Veronica sighed next to her placing hand over racing heart, did the blonde, not meaning to get her in the crossfires, shoot her girlfriend an apologetic look. 

A look which the brunette instantly caught with a deadly one of her own that almost, definitely _did_ , make the gang member shrink a little. 

Veronica counted less than five minutes did her girlfriend's truce last, and still, it lasted a lot longer than she expected.

She rose two set of dark seriously warning eyebrows between her slowly recoiling blonde and the low grumbling boy to her left.

"Will the both of you please settle down before we get into _another_ accident?" 

The brunette huffed, then pulling a very relieved Betty back to her and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder— even if she was a little upset at the Serpent, it was purely out of the rush and after-weariness of their would-be crash. _Not_ because she was a sucker for her love's adorable sorry blue eyes simply staring at her in wordless apology. 

Everyone calmed down.

"Also Archie, believe me the time I spent in that office was short. The Sheriff has about hundred keys, a dozen cabinets, and a thousand files." She defended, peering out the windshield as the trio finally came upon her neighborhood. 

Veronica had made for certain neither parent wouldn't be home to catch them in the act of rifling through her dad's private things for leverage over him. 

Archie nodded, slowing the truck. "So, all we have to do now is get pass your mom and case your dad's office." He concluded, almost too breezily. 

Betty sighed, head leaning against her girlfriend's. "Should be a hell of a lot easier." She too sounded too breezy, hands flowing through the brunette's hair for both comfort and remaining forgiveness. 

It certainly helped as Veronica reveled in the soft touch and pecked her lips. 

Both girl's feelings were short-lived, however, when Archie slowed his truck in front of the Pembrooke.

And Hiram and Hermione Lodge stepping glamorously out of the back of a fancy black town car was a clear, dreadful, sight to the three. 

"You would think so, wouldn't you." 

Veronica groaned and Betty tensed against her, they openly watched her parent's walk to the front of the home. 

_"Get down."_

Archie only hissed just in time for Hiram and Hermione's heads to turn and spot them, Betty quickly ducked down into her seat while the redheaded boy veered his truck around in a way that made the blonde more unseen as he parked on side the street.

With only Veronica and Archie in view, the parents waved and the pair waved back with smiles the least suspiciously as they could manage. 

"What now?" 

Betty grinded her teeth at the view of the glove compartment box. She wanted to growl at having to see the despised face of Hiram Lodge again. 

Archie glanced down at the same loss. 

Veronica on the other hand didn't wait to give an explanation and gracefully climbed over her girlfriend's lap, opening her side door with a small huff. "Wait here." She never took her set gaze off her parents distant forms as she dipped low and left a quick kiss on her confused blonde's head before slamming the door back shut. 

Betty recognized that hot stubborn look in those fiery brown eyes—helplessly watching the brunette leave the truck, and look _very_ good while doing so, she was both intrigued and a little turned on. 

But the feeling disappeared at exchanging one look with the boy in the drivers seat and getting the sense he was thinking something similar, if not the same. 

He quickly looked away, eyes following the brunette out his side window. 

And Betty made herself let it go for once, just barely stretching upward to peer up into the truck's right side view mirror and watch her girlfriend in action. 

"What do you think she's doing?" 

Archie's head tilted curiously to a question even the Serpent couldn't answer. 

"No idea." 

The seconds passed, and the truck was silent for a while as the two watched out the windows. 

And then. 

"Sheriff Keller knew you personally back there at the station and before I left I heard him say you were better than someone, he knows you more than you've been letting on to the group, doesn't he?" 

"Nope." 

Betty didn't miss a beat, popping the 'p' casually. 

Even as her very insides clenched. 

Because of course the redhead had taken notice during their little act at the police station. 

_What the hell was she going to do?_

Her fingers tapped away at a hole in the knee of her jeans. 

Aloofness was going to be of to no help. 

"Okay, so maybe it's just _Ronnie_ then." 

Archie's cool gaze settled back on her, words freezing the blonde's frame and never tearing her guilt-ridden eyes away from the girl she loved in the side view mirror. 

"You lied to her. _Why?_ " 

The redhead pressed her, his tone hardened.

Unrelenting.

Then Betty knew the boy wasn't going to let go— even if she threatened him he'd recklessly risk his own head for Veronica, not unlike herself. 

So she flickered an equally as steel gaze back to his, detesting having to look up at the redhead from her low position. 

If Archie wanted the truth, he would get it. 

The blonde huffed.

It all went back to _him_. 

"Just a reminder that if you share with Veronica any of what I'm about to tell you, I am very skilled with a knife and I will cut your dick off."

Just a little threat would have to do. 

-

"Mom." 

Veronica breathed, catching her mother's arm by surprise just before either of her parents could enter into their home. 

"Honey." Hermione reeled around in the doorway, tender smile on her face but eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. "How was _cheer practice?_ "

The young girl saw the look her mom gave her, the woman knowing full well there was no practice that afternoon. 

Unlike the cynical man stood next to her. 

"And what is Archie doing here?" Hiram furthered, his suspicious eyes narrowed from her to over her shoulder at the redhead's parked truck. 

Veronica didn't know why he even tried. 

She had refused speaking to him at all for a week, bar communicating her whereabouts which he practically forced out of her every morning before she left the house. 

Ergo, the brunette ignored both her instinct to demand the very same question back and the very man himself as she rotated her attention to her mother solely. 

"Cheer and football practice ended at the same time, Archie graciously offered me a ride home." She lied pleasantly through her teeth. 

Hiram smiled and inclined his head impressed. "Always the gentlemen that Archie." He inserted unnecessarily. 

Veronica's annoyance spiked at the implication, fortunately, it would work for her. 

The brunette reluctantly turned to her father and still her eyes could barely make contact with his. 

"Actually, I was hoping that Archie could come up to study." She let stream out, her jaw tightened as her arms crossed. "I'm grounded I know, but-" 

"I think that's a great idea, Veronica." Her mother immediately cut in and ceased her excuses, empathetic look in the woman's gaze as she placed a gentle hand on her daughter's crossed arms. "And a little studying won't do anyone harm, will it _Hiram_?" She looked pointedly to her husband. 

Hiram exchanged one attentive glance with his wife and relented to a nod. "Right, your mothers right." He gave his permission, alas quipped at her with a playful grin. "But the door stays open." 

It was just as if he didn't know she had a girlfriend that he'd forbidden her from seeing a week before. 

Veronica sucked in a tempered breath and just glared at the man. "Thanks." She spat dryly and quickly spun on her heel. 

The brunette promptly made it back to the truck, opening Archie's side and glancing in to two expecting faces as she hung onto the door. 

" _You_ with me."

She nodded at the redhead first then peering over her shoulder, grateful to see her parents go inside. 

Not noticing how strangely aghast her friend suddenly looked in the company of her girlfriend. 

Betty most certainly did, and irkedly hit the boy's arm, making him instantly shake himself out of it— in unfortunate timing for Veronica to turn back and pause, giving him an odd stare. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Nothing." 

Archie firmly denied, the brunette noting a mere tick of doubt on the redhead's otherwise innocently telling features as hopped out of the truck in front of her. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed curiously as she looked over the boy at her love, who simply shrugged in return. The girl merely chalked it up to do with the usual tension between the pair, stepping away as Archie closed his door behind him and turned his back on her, Betty and the redheaded boy exchanged a grave look that went lost to her. 

As it was Archie's turn to step away from the truck, the brunette eagerly slid into his place and leaned inside the window to frown regretfully at her blonde still ducked in place. 

"Come through my window, Romeo?" She proposed sadly, reaching out needy fingers. 

A feeling of both slight disappointment and understanding hit Betty at once though she stretched up clung to her girlfriend's reaching hand, only wishing they could be together freely.

Veronica desperately wished the same as she took in a soft crinkle in the Serpent's brows that she wanted to kiss right then and there while she nodded at her. 

"For her, vast oceans I shall cross." 

Betty quoted with a sweet smile, in spite of her disappointment, pressing an even sweeter kiss against the brunette's intertwined hand in hers. 

Veronica didn't even bother trying to cover the absolute flourish of a blush that inflamed her cheeks then. 

"Mid-twentieth century poetry? Maybe I _am_ making you into a sap." She teased with the rest of the gang's claims instead, a grin lighting up her face.

While Betty narrowed her eyes playfully. 

"But only mere bedroom windows I will cross for a traitorous wench such as she." She finished the dry quote jokingly, dramatic and unceremoniously dropping her girlfriend's hand out of hers. 

Veronica giggled, eyeing up the blonde with affection then quickly patting Archie, who had watched the couple with silent intrigue after what had been soberly imparted onto him moments before, but he found himself being taken away to the Pembrooke before he could say much else. 

"Let's get this over with, Arch." 

Betty warily watched through the mirror while her girlfriend and Archie's back disappeared into the home, bracing her hands against the truck's side interior before finally pushing herself out of the vehicle with a huff as the door closed behind the pair.

-

Veronica and Archie had hid themselves, hands gripped to and peering over the banister as they watched the brunette's parents idly wander about the downstairs.

The two teenagers shared a cautionary look with one another before quietly taking the rest of the upstairs, looking over their shoulders and feigning going into the bedroom on the right— taking a sharp left turn, shooting into Hiram's home office instead. 

Veronica hurried over to the huge wooden desk sat in the middle of the room while Archie tasked himself to surveilling their backs one final time before noiselessly sealing the wooden door behind them. 

The redheaded boy turned and nodded to the girl that they were temporarily in the clear, only then did both let out their premature sighs of relief. 

"Okay, we have about ten minutes before my dad comes up to 'check up on us'."

Veronica breathed, wasting no time in going through the various papers and files in her father's desk, shuffling around meaningless forms of basic information and taking out her phone for photographs. 

There was no doubt in her mind that the man must have something somewhere— he worked in covert dirt and crime. 

"Then we better search fast." 

Archie retorted and rushed over to desk next to her, making quick work of searching through its cabinets for anything suspicious that could be used as the evidence they needed. 

Veronica flashed a grateful look to the side of the focused boy's head while she simultaneously flashed pictures of some formal looking papers with her father and mother's names sprawled across the top, an odd logo from a company she had never heard of stamped into the corner.

For a moment, there was nothing but easy quiet, shuffling of papers, and the occasional flash of either teens phone cameras in the office as they found things suspicious. 

Then Archie outburst. 

"Why her?" The boy practically blurted into the atmosphere.

Veronica paused thrown off at the unexpected eruption, then resumed her search much more slowly as she shot the redhead a questioning sidelong glance. 

"Betty, I mean. Why her?" 

Archie waveringly answered to her look and continued his own exploration, but the brunette had a known feeling that was only to awkwardly avoid her gaze as he was. 

_'Why not me?'_ She could woefully read between the lines.

_Now? Really?_

Archie cleared his throat and seemed to notice her visible hesitance. 

"Just tell me what you see in her." He pressed lightly and stopped rummaging, meeting her gaze. 

Veronica shot him a playful look. 

"Well, honestly Archie? She's prettier than you are." She joked.

Or attempted to anyway. 

Archie's features smoothed over into a more stern intensity. "Ronnie."

Veronica exhaled, playful look falling to mirror the redhead and halt her seeking. "Archie...you don't really want to hear about this."

_So, why was he asking as if he really wanted to know?_

Her affliction for her friend rattled within her. 

Archie harbored feelings for her still, she knew, and even before Betty she thought little more of him than one of her closest friends when she first moved to Riverdale— like Cheryl or Kevin...although, significantly less gayer obviously. 

"If I didn't I wouldn't have asked, right?" 

Archie countered, pressing gaze still set on her as he unwittingly read her mind. 

Veronica thinks then, glancing away to the very corners of the vast office and nowhere at once. 

There was really no competition.

"It's _unexplainable_ , Archie." Her face unintentionally lights up as her thoughts went to her girlfriend. "Betty makes me unbelievably happy." 

So happy, Betty still gave her butterflies and they'd been together for a year. 

"She likes to tease and make me laugh, she can make me feel so special like I'm the only person in the room amongst all of you..."

The brunette remembered fondly of the past week of comforting one another in secret hideaways, away from all prying ears and eyes but their own.

"She's amazingly protective without being overbearing and when I'm emotional she comforts me in ways no one's ever had, stubbornly willing to piece back every piece of me." 

The Serpent was also headstrong, stubborn sometimes to a fault, but she fought for what she believed in. Bravely and with heart— a heart that Veronica was lucky to have as hers. 

Lost in her thoughts, the brunette almost missed Archie motioning for her to go on, fortunately appearing slightly amused and not heartbroken. 

In so, she slowly looked back at him with her misdirected loving expression. 

"I've just never felt the way I feel for her with anyone else and I love that feeling, I love _her_." 

Veronica couldn't get it out of her head that maybe it was fate that day Cheryl had ditched her for Toni and the Ghoulies had made their attack on the Whyte Wyrm.

"That first day we met Betty saved me." The brunette vowed that she would let nothing stop her in doing the same. "And now it's my turn to save her, to save _us_ from my demon dad." She concluded firmly. 

Archie's eyebrows rose. "Even if it means you getting hurt?" He inquired quietly. 

Veronica gave the boy a wry smile. "Love is, that you are the knife which I plunge into myself. Franz Kafka." She spoke, fully aware of the irony of quoting the twentieth-century famed novelist's secret love letters.

Or so she thought. 

The brunette watched Archie's expression falter and drop, dropping her own eyes back to searching inside her father's desk. 

"All that not what you wanted to hear after all?" She voiced knowingly, and maybe a little fearful that the redhead wouldn't want to continue to be friends as he'd said before. 

Archie shook his head from the corner of her eye, the boy frowning strongly "No, it's just...Ronnie I've told you, you're my closest friend, that's not going to change because you're dating someone else." He clarified. 

Without hesitance. 

_Genuine._

Veronica rose a soft curious gaze into his. 

Archie chuckled then, shrugging sheepishly. "I was going to say, I think Betty's good for you actually." 

The two shared a smile. 

"Really?" The brunette barely kept the excitement out of her voice. 

"Yeah." The redhead nodded back, but made a silly face to end with. "She's... _something._ "

The dig was mostly fair, he'd most seen Betty's brash and protective sides more than anything— but Veronica still gasped and lightly hit his arm with a random manila folder anyway. They both quietly laughed. 

"Is that because she's a girl? Or because she can totally kick your ass and actually almost has?" 

Veronica giggled, squinting accusingly at the chuckling redhead. 

"Touché, touché." Archie easily surrendered, slightly raising his hands to his likely sobering state as he quipped and went back to the cabinets. "Seriously, I'm happy that you're happy with her." 

"Thank you, Archie." She stated in kind. 

The soft smile on her face only slightly differed to the thoughts running her brain, wondering what brought about the boy's sudden change in attitude. Archie had been a benefit of the doubt type of guy since she'd known him, true, but he'd been hesitant of Betty even up until driving up to the Pembrooke moments ago. 

So what exactly could have happened so quickly between her going to see her parents and leaving her girlfriend and him together alone in the truck? 

The brunette recalled the odd look on both their faces when she arrived back. 

She knew that Betty was hiding something from her, but she wouldn't have told _Archie_ before her...would she? 

"Wait, wait, wait." 

Veronica had barely even noticed she'd given pause to her thinking before rushed hands were drawing the random manila folder out of hands and the hurried voice of Archie snapped her out of her very own head. 

"Look at this." 

She blinked rapidly at the boy's movements as he flipped and pressed the folder flat out onto the desk in front of them, a finger traced to a hand-drawn diagram with all gender, height, weight, and age labeled. 

**Male**

**5'11**

**170 Pounds**

**46**

Veronica's eyes narrowed, the characteristics looked a little too familiar...

Archie glared at the folder, same as the brunette as he filled in her thoughts. 

"I can't be sure, but I think I saw something like this on your phone earlier." He breathed incredulously. 

Veronica immediately startled into action.

She quickly swiped through the forgotten phone in her hand and flickered through her photos from the Sheriff's office. 

And there it was.

The same _exact_ diagram to match up with the one she found in one of the police department folders labeled **'Black Hood - Classified'**. 

...so, how the hell did her father get ahold of it? 

Wildly handing over the phone to an equally dumbfounded Archie, the brunette hastily flipped the diagrammed folder over and flung it open for them both to angle over. 

A single paper resided inside, there was a shaded photo no person could make out and lots of lined information redacted to black— including what looked to be half a phone number redacted at the bottom.

Printed at the top were the words **'Alias: Black Hood'** and next to it was what clearly used to be a name, also blacked out. 

The Black Hood's real name?

Veronica and Archie's breath caught at their very same realizations, the teens looking up from the folder and at one another in astonishment.

_Had her father known who the Black Hood was all along?_

The brunette shook her head in utter disbelief, not even trusting her own conclusions. 

"I-I can't believe this..." 

Archie's eyes softened over at her sympathetically.

"Ronnie, I'm so sor-" 

The redhead wouldn't finish— as the sound of hard footsteps coming up the stairs left them both frozen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapters Spoliers* : Betty and a furious Veronica decide how to deal with the knowledge of Hiram's not-so secret, while also dealing with having to sneak around and getting a little revenge. Veronica finds out little by little hints of Betty's own secret and also learns why heels aren't the best of running shoes. 
> 
> And as if things couldn't get anymore chaotic in Veronica's life, a figure from her past makes a surprising guest appearance to dinner.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Please, Ms. Lodge." 
> 
> "My dad was an asshole." 
> 
> "How? I mean, how could he possibly know and not tell anyone?" 
> 
> "We're going to make this right, V."
> 
> "I want some revenge."
> 
> "Betty!" 
> 
> "Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni lended me a hand, but the hearts are from me to you actually. Like it?" 
> 
> "That jacket is a bullseye on her back, you know that right?"
> 
> "I swear, I won't ever let him hurt you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY UPDATED 
> 
> THANKS FOR ALMOST 200 KUDOS !

The teens met eyes widened, panic flashed across their faces at the nearing noise— before they both sprung into action, hastily pushing files back into drawers and setting papers back into place. 

_"Dammit."_

Veronica hissed along with another list of rather heavy expletives as she scrambled, echoed by the scrambling boy next to her. 

The brunette frantically captured multiple pictures of the horrid folder in her hands, her finger paused over the camera button as she was hit with a sudden panic on top of her panic. 

_Where was Betty?_

"Veronica." Archie pressed, concernedly yet urgently eyeing her over while settling his hand hand on her arm. 

Veronica snapped out of it, glancing back at him and breathing outward. "I know." She shook her head vigorously, shoving the folder back into the drawer she found it rushed and rounding the desk with Archie right there with her. 

She tapped at the redhead racing in front of her frantically, hastening him. 

"Go, go, go, go, go." 

Veronica and Archie exit the office, in time to freeze up silently in the doorway at the sight of the oblivious back of Hiram entering into his daughter's room directly across the hall.

Betty.

Veronica's heart hammered with the heightening panic in her bones. 

_No_

Before she could do anything detrimental to avert her father from discovering her girlfriend, like out her and Archie and produce an impossible explanation as to why they were sneaking around the doorway of his office which had no way of ending well— her love in question tumbled out of the guest room adjacent, coming to a stop just a few meters into the hall the trio were facing. 

Spotting one another, both Veronica and Betty shared about a millisecond moment to sag in relief before closing the distance separating them.

As Hiram's voice rang about the surely empty room with his daughter's name on his lips, said brunette snagged onto Betty and Archie's wrists equally in pulling them hurriedly towards the staircase— and admittedly struggling in the heels Betty had warned her about earlier while the blonde kept her steady as they ran. 

Mid-scurry down the steps to their freedom, Betty's ears were first to perk at the sound of a stern voice clearing.

The trio came to yet another stunted stop as they came face to face with Hermione Lodge, blocking their escape. 

The woman's arms were crossed, a rigid unreadable expression to her features as she stood at the bottom of the staircase glaring up at them. 

The blonde gulped. 

Archie glanced silently between the three women in uneasy apprehension. 

And Veronica's grip tightened onto her girlfriend's wrist, dread filling inside her. 

"Mom?" She pleaded weakly. 

_Her mother wouldn't do this, she wasn't like him...right?_

No response.

The brunette's heart dropped further.

Betty quickly peered over her shoulder at the once more approaching footsteps before looking back meeting her girlfriend's mother's eyes with her own whispering plea.

" _Please_ , Ms. Lodge." 

Hermione gave visible pause at that.

The woman seemed to glance between each of their desperate begging faces— then sighed, making a show of stepping aside. 

"Go. I didn't see anything." 

Veronica looked at her mother immensely grateful as they resumed down the stairs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She praised with every step, dropping a kiss on the nonchalant waving woman's cheek in passing. 

Betty and Archie shot equally as appreciative looks, taking steps two at a time behind the brunette and the three fled out the front door to their freedom. 

While Betty held fast to her girlfriend's hand, her redheaded friend going quickly beside them, she could see something troubling, subtly horrified, in the eyes that pitifully looked back at her. 

It was hardly the time to question in their sprint back to the truck parked at the other side of the street. 

But she already loathed what filth the pair might have found in Hiram's office all the same.

"Just be home by eleven, Veronica!" 

Hermione's shout to her daughter was just above a whisper, useless as the front door had already been closed behind the hurried lovesick kids. 

The woman shook her head to herself, pursing her lips as she watched her husband's ever-suited form hit the first landing, features frowning down at her. 

"Hermione, just where the hell is our daughter and Archie Andrews? Because they are certainly not up there in that room." 

Hermione thought quickly.

"They must have just gotten passed you." She easily concocted, shrugging to the man where she idled in the very place she let the teenagers go. "Apparently their was a change in plans, the teacher instructed a couple of necessary books needed for them to get to the town library." 

Hiram's frown deepened, his mouth opening up.

She held up a firm finger. 

"Don't you dare blow a fuse, Hiram. I let her go, all their doing is studying, she's been obeying the rules and in hours before her curfew for a week now."

The adults could hear the sound of a truck rumbling to life outside. 

Hiram narrowed his eyes in lieu of a response, walking to sweep open the curtain hanging over the small window on the stairs and peering out to the front of his home.

Hermione held her breath. 

Hiram saw Archie's truck pulling away, only him in the driver's seat and his daughter in the passenger's.

"Well, I suppose I trust Archie won't allow fraternizing with Serpents with him around." He hummed, small satisfied smiled as he turned back to his wife yielding to her decision. 

Hermione winced, releasing her held breath before she made another decision. 

"Honey, I think we need to talk." She disclosed gravely. 

Hiram's eyebrows furrowed, his frown returned at her tone. "About what?" 

Hermione sighed, crossing her arms and mentally preparing towards the worse for the sake of her next words.

"About Betty." 

...

The couple sat in silence.

In the somber atmosphere of Betty's trailer alone, they sat cross-legged across from one another on the blonde's too-small kitchen island with the weight of Hiram's sins on their shoulders. 

Veronica had her heels kicked off and her girlfriend's gang jacket wrapped around her shoulders, as completely unnecessary as it was comforting, leaving Betty in just her worn baseball tee. 

Between them were two plates of macaroni containing cut-up hot dogs— a favorite guilty pleasure as far as simple yet horrendously unhealthy foods went allowed in Veronica's home— and Betty had devotedly made it just the way she liked the moment Archie had dropped them off with the sense that the two needed time alone and a promise to talk things over later. 

Any other night, Veronica might have gushed at how domestic the whole thing really felt with Betty. 

Instead the brunette found herself subconsciously glaring down at a plate of her favorite food, untouched. 

And oblivious to her girlfriend's concerned stare. 

Betty toyed with her own fork on a half-eaten plate and smiled sadly, attempting a half-hearted joke. 

"Okay, what did that macaroni and hot dog ever do to you?" 

The blonde internally groaned. 

Of all the corny cliche things to ever leave her mouth for her girlfriend. 

But she succeeded in getting Veronica's attention as the girl's head snapped up at her, questioning look in her eye and eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion. 

Betty breathed out in low-spirited amusement, gesturing with her fork to the brunette's full plate. 

"Babe, you've been giving it the death glare for the last hour, I'm seriously betting on the poor thing just jumping off the plate onto the floor and ending it all in the next few minutes." She pointed out. 

Of course she knew why her love was the way she was, the blonde had been filled in on her and Archie's discovery on the truck ride over to the Southside. 

The Serpent so desperately wanted to blow a fuse, and she might have already apologetically unleashed a little on Archie's dashboard before she realized it was Veronica she needed to be there for— she needed to be the one to keep her head for once. 

Veronica's lips tried to lift even a little at her girlfriend's attempts, instead it turned into a slight apologetic kind of grimace. 

"I'm sorry, Betty." She spoke feebly, really glancing down at her plate for the first time in an hour and groaning one hand coming up tiredly to cover her face, sure her girlfriend couldn't afford to waste food. "God, you were so sweet in making this for me and I haven't even had a bite, I just..." 

_Lost my appetite because my own father might somehow be working with a serial murderer for gain_

The brunette uncovered her eyes painfully opening her mouth and closing it multiple times, she could barely take stomaching the thought, no less saying it aloud.

Watching her girlfriend struggle with the words, Betty's heart felt wound with barbed wire, her eyes softening to sadness and understanding. 

The blonde quickly placed her own fork down and reached over for the brunette's, doing the same as she swung her legs around to hop off the island, taking their plates and placing them to be left beside the kitchen sink.

Veronica's own legs were already half to dangling off the counter to follow when Betty turned and suddenly stepped in between them, hands flat against the counter on either side, effectively trapping her in place. 

The brunette's eyes shined wetly as the blonde peered up at her sorrowfully, her name woefully on her tongue. 

"Veronica-"

"My dad might know who the Black Hood is, Betty!" Veronica burst without really meaning to, emotions taking over as her lips trembled vulnerably as she shouted without purpose. "He's even been into contact with him, that monster!"

Betty pulled the brunette's shaking body into her, tenderly sushing her. 

"I'm so sorry, V..." She rubbed gently at the girl's back underneath her jacket, her other hand carding through her dark tresses as her own jaw clenched. "You have every damn right to be upset, baby." 

_Keep your head,_ she mentally reminded herself. 

"How?" Veronica chuckled sardonically in her girlfriend's arms, feeling the telltale stinging behind her eyes and clung closer to the blonde with near white knuckles. "I mean, _how_ could he possibly know and not tell anyone?" 

Betty shook her head sadly as her love hysterically pressed her for answers she didn't have. 

"Babe..."

But Veronica was too incredulous to hear it, seething and subconsciously tightening grip on her blonde to near air blockage. 

"People are getting hurt and murdered in cold blood in the this town Betty, and the one man that could stop it is more concerned in keeping _us_ apart. I hate him _so_ much!" 

Her voice cracked with the very ferocity of her words, glaring sizeable holes into the kitchen fridge. 

Betty could only let out a breath as the intensity along with the outburst simultaneously loosened the grip around her neck, then she sighed and nuzzled comfortingly into her brunette.

She didn't think her girlfriend truly hated her father. Not then. 

After all, she knew hate— and there was no feeling, no tears involved. 

Betty had simply seen red.

"Hey." The blonde spoke softly as she pulled back and rested their heads together, the girls' eyes met when the Serpent brushed several loose strands of hair behind the brunette's ears and her heart wound even tighter at the crystalling tears she found there yet to be shed. "We're going to make this right, V. I promise, he isn't getting away with this. We'll revolt if we have to, if _you_ want to." She promised firmly. 

Through the watering of her eyes and the trembling of her lips, Veronica could barely respond and only helplessly gaze down into her girlfriend's loving blue irises hoping to communicate her emotions. 

Betty could plainly see the growing frustration building in her girlfriend's expression as she tried holding in. "Cry if you want, babe." She assured delicately. "I get it, he's still your dad. It's okay to be sad-" 

_"No."_

Betty's eyebrows shot upward as she was cut her off with a near growl of sudden anger, her love shaking her head vigorously as her eyes squeezed tightly shut. 

"I'm not sad and I don't want to cry." 

Abruptly, Veronica's eyes shot open furiously to her girlfriend's very curious gaze, jaw clenched and answered to the blonde's silent question. 

"I'm _mad_ and I want to _strangle_ him!" 

Betty's gaze widened from curious to alarm as her barefoot girlfriend unexpectedly lunged out of her embrace off the counter, and flew for her trailer door— the blonde had never seen the other girl move so quickly. 

"Woah." 

She caught the brunette in two strides anyway, halfway into the sitting room shared with the kitchen, grabbing the shorter girl around the waist from behind as gently as restraining the girl she loved could go. 

Veronica strained, struggling as she found herself yanked right back into warm arms that slid around her time and time before. 

"Let me go, Betty." She begged, a few miniscule tears slipping down.

But of course Betty was stronger than her. 

"I can't do that." 

Betty just kept holding the girl, buried head in her neck as she frowned. "I told you I would _never_ do that, remember? So please calm down, baby." She begged herself. 

Realizing she was locked in the cage of her girlfriend's embrace with no means of escape, Veronica stopped herself— rage exhausted in her failed struggle, melting back into her love's arms with a defeated sigh. 

The Serpent slowly freed up her hold as she felt the brunette relaxing against her, softly murmuring into her ear.

"If we get reckless and show our hand now, he'll just shred all the evidence and he wins. If he doesn't know that we know, we can use it." She began to remind of their talk earlier. "Follow the trail from that file, find the dirt on him _and_ the Black Hood and that will make our accusations undeniable, right?" 

Veronica slowly, calmly nodded. 

Betty pulled the brunette even closer to her chest, continuing. "Okay, so you know strangling him isn't exactly going to bring either to justice?" 

Veronica chewed down on her lip at that. 

She knew what her girlfriend was saying was sensible. 

It just didn't make her any less angry. 

Feeling Betty nosing at her temple, pads of the blonde's thumbs caressing the bare skin at her sides underneath her shirt, warm breathing against her ear that never failed to make her shudder— _that_ made her less angry. 

"I know." She relaxed even the more, frustratedly wiping her few strayed tears then gripping onto the arms surrounding her as she pouted petulantly. "But it would _really_ make me feel better." 

Betty laughed wetly, half-snorting as she leaned down and pecked the brunette's lips until her frown disappeared all but the sadness in her brown eyes remained. 

"Me too." The blonde raised a hand to lovingly touch at one of her girlfriend's damp cheeks and gave her a small amused smirk. "I want nothing more than to see Hiram Lodge's expression as his all of 5'2 daughter kicks his ass." She sarcasmed. 

"Hey!" Veronica snorted tearily, offendedly elbowing back even as she threw a shaky smile over her shoulder at her clearly tickled girlfriend and couldn't help but to then press a kiss into her blonde's cheek. "Thanks." She followed softly 

Betty reflected the same expression of soft loving humor.

"No, thank _you_ for smiling for me babe." She countered fondly, content to having taken the hurt away if just for a moment. 

Veronica stared up silently into her love's sparkling blue eyes that were always there for her, a beat passing before she turned in her arms and buried her head in the taller girl's chest, feeling considerably lighter. 

"I just...I knew my dad was a corrupt bastard, but I never thought he would go as far as to do something like this." She sniffled. 

The thought struck Betty as she reassuringly rested her chin atop the brunette's head and involuntarily mused. 

"My dad was an asshole, I don't even think he would ever do shit like this." 

Veronica froze a mere second before drawing back to ever-so slightly meet her girlfriend's faraway gaze, yet they were still so close their two noses brushed as she looked up in somwhat surprise at the newly volunteered information.

Her girlfriend never spoke of her father, not of her own free will. 

"Your dad was an asshole?" She pressed. 

It was then that Betty blinked down at her, faraway look vanishing before she schooled her features once more and strainedly cleared her throat.

"Yeah, he was." The blonde answered shortly, shrugging as if to appear indifferent. "Sometimes." _All the time_

_Cryptic, but something at least_

Veronica inwardly sighed but said nothing as her arms squeezed around her girlfriend just a little tighter, somewhat feeling the need to comfort them both. 

Betty's eyebrows furrowed, mind racing back to everything she had revealed earlier and testing the waters.

"Andrews was the one to find the evidence, huh?" She made a face as she commented. " _Convenient_."

Veronica shot her up a look, half amused half stern expression. 

"Betty..." She warned. 

Betty chuckled. "Joking." She lulled humored, reluctantly admitting. "If I'm being honest, he was a big help out today." 

"Yes, he was." Veronica nodded matter of factly. 

While the blonde's fingers played idly along the brunette's sides in an attempt to simply sound mildly curious as she pressed further.

"So, what was it exactly that you two got up to in your dad's office?"

Veronica's expression was one of knowing as she rolled her eyes. 

"Just curious, I'm sure babe?" She sarcasmed playfully. 

Betty's fluttered her eyelashes innocently in response. 

"Why of course, what else would I be?" 

Veronica smiled a little at that. "We talked about you, actually." She confessed. 

"Oh...?" Betty gulped, trying not to look absolutely terrified.

_Andrews couldn't have spilled, her girlfriend was smiling, he couldn't have..._

"He said he was happy that I was happy, and that he thought you were good for me." 

Veronica informed happily, not including her suspicions that her girlfriend had told her friend something neither one decided to fill her in on. 

Relief overtook Betty's features, realizing first that the redhead had kept his word after all with surprising gratitude— then second— it must have shown on her face, because the girl in front of her began to look extremely smug about her sudden lack of quick response.

"Feel a little bad now, do we?" 

The brunette raised a single teasing eyebrow up at her. 

Betty scoffed, taking on a comically bubbly and squeaky high-pitched innocent tone to cover as she mocked.

"Oh Ronnie, I'm just so happy _you're_ happy and I just love _love_ and that has nothing to do with my _maybe_ feelings for you!" She emphasized every word while swaying her girlfriend's body conjoined with her own, playfully back and forth like a rocking boat.

Veronica half groaned, half giggled as she slapped at the silly blonde's stomach. "Oh my god, babe his voice is lower than yours, stop!"

Both girls giggled for a while, before either could sober. 

"I think that sounded more like you, really." 

Veronica teased after, eyes lit up warm with mirth. 

Betty merely nodded, not at all willing to argue— even if it meant taking down her girlfriend's father, the blonde knew she would do so in a heartbeat. 

"True, I would do anything to make you happy." She admitted gently, lips still lightly quirked upward. 

Veronica let out a content loving sigh and beamed, leaning back in to hug her amazing girlfriend close.

Betty kissed the top of the brunette's head and did the same, feeling the matching smile shaping into her tee.   
  
"Do I have to go?" Veronica groaned again, less out of amusement and more yearning to forget about her home life for a while with her favorite person in the world. 

Betty's groan echoed her back. "Do you have to go?" She repeated in the same miserable fashion.

With soft looks on each of their faces, the girls drew back and pressed lips together. 

Gentle at first.

Then heated. 

Feverish tongues fought for dominance as their hands roaming down each other, echoing moans into the otherwise quiet room. 

Somehow Betty had found herself being backed back into the kitchen and then Veronica pinned between her girlfriend's taut body and her island. 

The blonde easily hoisted the brunette back up onto the counter where she was before without ever breaking their passionately locked lips. 

The unexpected show of strength turned Veronica on in ways which felt like a crime that she had chosen that moment to remember she was supposed to be at the library with Archie and had to meet curfew. 

It seemed Betty had simultaneously remembered the same thing as the blonde gave her one last peck before solemnly unlocking their lips and merely lingering upward as her girlfriend sat higher, the girls caught one another's looks of understanding— just as there was a solid knock at the door.

Veronica and Betty, turning full-body, both twisted their heads cautious towards the door. As late as it was, they both held baited breaths. 

"It could be your mom..." 

Veronica whispered slowly, though her hands clenched to the blonde's shoulders whilst she still stood between her dangling legs. 

The brief thought had crossed along Betty's mind. Her mom could have been home 'early' from one of her drinking binges, she could have lost her keys or forgotten how to use them. It's happened before. 

_But what if it wasn't?_

"And if it's your dad? Or the Black Hood?" The blonde kept her voice calm as she whispered back, not for once taking her eyes off the already flimsy door across the trailer. 

Veronica swallowed.

"What kind of sadistic insane person knocks first before their attempt to try and kill us?" She shakily countered. 

Then both girls paused as realization hit, heads snapping from up to down at one another. 

Veronica scrambled off the countertop and held onto her lover's arm as they slowly made their way towards the door— the air was heavy and dense as another knock sounded through the trailer. 

"Still have that knife I gave you?" 

Betty raised doubtfully as she reached into own pants pockets and came up empty, then her jacket the brunette was wearing and also came up empty. The blonde cursed probably having left her only form of weapon in her room. 

Fortunately, Veronica in all of her anxiety, looked only mildly pleased as she drew out a familiar knife from her back pocket with her girlfriend's carved initials. 

"Never leave home without it." The brunette flashed the blade in front both their eyes and cocked her head up at her relieved looking blonde, she probed dryly. "For my father? Or the Black Hood?" 

Betty grimaced slightly. 

"I'll take that." She swiftly plucked the knife from her girlfriend's hands, flicking it open herself. 

Veronica frowned, though didn't argue as they reached the door. When Betty tried getting in front of her, only then did the brunette press back, the blonde's turn to frown as she was maneuvered behind. 

" _You_ got the knife." 

Veronica shot up accusingly at the look before her hand gingerly wrapped around the door handle, Betty reluctant but to trudge close and making the brunette feel safe with the blonde's protective front pressed against her back. 

Then she stilled her courage and promptly swung open the door of the trailer. 

The couple were met by Cheryl, arms crossed and impatient stance, fiery red hair and matching red leather Serpent jacket clashing with the night behind her. 

"Ready to go?" Cheryl had a faint concerned expression, eyebrow rose critically at the knife being pointed in her direction. "Paranoid, much?" She then eyed her cousin who glared warily over her best friend's head. 

Betty and Veronica relax, slackening into one another. 

Betty huffed, while handing back over her knife to her girlfriend to re-pocket. "With every reason to be." She grumbled. 

Cheryl agreed with a silent tilt of her head, sauntering inside as Veronica fell back to let the redhead in and close the trailer behind her. 

The girls had yet to tell Cheryl, any of the rest of the group, about Hiram and the Black Hood after they got away from the Pembrooke. As far as they knew, the Black Hood was still MIA and Hiram was still keeping them away from one another— hence, the plan for Veronica to hitch a ride back to the Northside with Cheryl.

"For _once_ I am relieved to see you, Cheryl." The blonde shot, smirking at the redheaded girl as she re-wrapped around her love's waist. 

Cheryl merely snorted. "Can't relate." She shot back. 

Veronica had huffed amused as the cousins argued and she slipped into her heels by the doorway before turning back around in her girlfriend's arms. 

"Call you when I get home?" She proposed reluctantly, a longing gleam to stay in her eyes. 

The only answer the brunette received was in the form of Betty's lips pressing against her. 

The blonde had leaned down and pecked her girlfriend shortly.

As Veronica returned the sentiment, Cheryl looked courteously away from the two. 

But then the girls never came up for air, kissing lovingly for longer and longer...

And Cheryl's courteousness only ran so deep— like not at all deep. 

The redhead scoffed, loudly interrupting.

"Don't mind me, surely I can wait here till the end of time. Do forgive me, I was unaware when I came in I was stepping onto the set of a _porn shoot._ "

Betty and Veronica slowly detached from each other and exchanged a look, both rolling their eyes knowingly. 

The other girl was one to talk. 

It was hardly a puzzle to put together where the redhead had recently come back from after all, with her usually tamed hair and clothes slightly more askew than normal, they had noticed from the moment she walked out from the night and into the dull lights of the trailer home.

Veronica threw an extremely patient smile over her shoulder as she made it known.

"And as we are all well aware you just got finished in one, didn't you Cher?" She teased her best friend lightly as she rose the question. "Had a nice time at Toni's?" 

Cheryl, suddenly abashed, fixed them both with a glare and hastily ran fingers through her hair to subdue the loose strands as a rare flush blossomed onto her cheeks. 

Veronica watched entertained as Betty chuckled behind her, genuinely pleased at the reaction. 

"Whatever." Cheryl huffed annoyed as she composed herself and turned to open the trailer back, gesturing through it. "May we go now? Because I _will_ leave you stranded here, Lodge." She temperedly threatened at the brunette. 

Something Veronica was ninety-nine percent sure her best friend would never do to her— but not even on a good day was she about to test the theory of the other one percent. 

Nor would she put it passed her father having the police show sooner or later, claiming Betty had kidnapped her or something. 

"Bye baby." Veronica twisted back and pecked her girlfriend's lips quickly one last time. 

"Bye." Betty merely sighed, grudgingly letting her go as the brunette started towards the door. 

Cheryl stopped her wearily sighing, a single red-tipped finger gesturing up and down the girl's attire. 

Veronica blinked down, as did Betty, the black leather still wrapping the brunette's body standing out. 

_Oh_

They shared the same inept thought.

"Thanks." 

Veronica muttered sheepishly, spinning on her heel as she removed the Serpent jacket off and feeling terribly cold as she did so. 

Cheryl shook her head, touching a hand to her forehead. "Everyday, I am astonished more and more on how your father hadn't caught on to the two of you sooner." 

Betty scoffed as her love placed her skin back into her hands, but lingered onto her touch.

"Cheryl, we're only as sneaky as you are a constant joy to be around." She retorted dryly, throwing on her jacket. 

"Oh Betty, sweet humorous, cousin." 

Cheryl hummed and smirked back at her cousin with a kind of camaraderie one might even almost call fond, if they had a death wish. 

The redhead sneered. 

"Not _nearly_ a constant joy to be around than you, a constant-" 

"Watch it, Cheryl." 

Veronica had whirled away from facing her girlfriend and cut her best friend off swiftly. 

But Cheryl didn't miss a beat.

"Someone needs to." She stressed, as she glared at the blonde behind the brunette. "Still wearing that jacket is a bullseye on her back, you know that right?" 

Betty glanced down, lacking a comeback. 

She did know.

Veronica looked between the narrow-eyed redhead and her love's head dropped, eyebrows furrowing before she concluded. 

"Well, no one else is going to." The brunette cut in possessively in an attempt to lighten room, arms back around her blonde's neck and pulling her close. 

Betty was made to meet her girlfriend's loving gaze and her lips quirked up into a small smile. "Just you, always just you, promise." She purposely knocked their heads together, something she knew the other girl delighted in based on her growing smile before admitting. "My jacket makes you mine."

Veronica's grin grew larger. "That I am." She retorted softly. 

The girls stared at each other for a few moments. 

Only when a voice cleared did they pull away yet again. 

Veronica could see the less than annoyed, more back to odd concerned look in Cheryl's _'explain'_ expression as they met gazes. As clingy as her and Betty were, they were never as clingy as of recently for the obvious reasons—at least not with other people around. 

Instead of answering, the brunette squeezed onto the hand linked into her own. 

"Love you." She whispered dearly up into brilliant blue irises, still smiling smally. 

But Betty stared into her girlfriend's dark rich brown eyes and could only see the tinge of sadness still harbored inside, slightly red-rimmed and glassy from her dried tears. 

"Love you too." She smiled, albeit sadly as the brunette clasped onto their tangled fingers until the girls' hands dropped heavily at their own sides, Veronica _actually_ determined to make it out the door that time.

Left in her wake, Betty watched intently as her love passed Cheryl into the night, the redhead herself not moving from the doorway as the cousin's shared a last look. 

An assurance Veronica would be kept out of harms way while she was in the redhead's hands that night.

"Ride safely, Cheryl. You're carrying precious cargo." Betty warned having spotted the redhead's red bike parked out front instead of her red car that night and nodding to the brunette leaning against the side of it, before adding nonchalantly. "Also yourself, I guess." 

Overhearing stood outside, Veronica faintly cooed at the exact words her mother had spoken before—while Cheryl scowled. 

"How sweet, unlike _you_ , it's a good thing I know how to actually maintain a bike and not race senselessly around town like a crash test dummy, isn't it?" The redhead snapped, not waiting for a response as she whirled to sashay out the door and throw a hand over her shoulder at the blonde. "Be sure to lock up, tweedledee." 

Veronica shook her head at the dramatics as she watched her best friend saunter out her way.

Betty realeased an annoyed sigh still stood indoors. "Cheryl, you know that wasn't-"

The trailer door smartly slammed closed in response to her attempt to call behind the girl. 

Her girlfriend and cousin on the other side of it.

"...my fault." 

The blonde huffed with both amusement and glower. 

But as the low rumbling of a motorbike sounded outside and began distancing from her ears, the humor vanished and just left the glower in its place. 

Betty immediately stormed to her room and found both her knife and phone at her bedside table, carelessly shoving the former into her pocket and pressing the other to her ear after dialing under the contact Pea. 

To her surprise, the boy picked up instantly. 

_"Dude, you got busted didn't you? I knew it."_

Her friend's voice came out the other end rushed and jumpy. 

She rolled her eyes. 

"Sweet P-"

_"This is your one phone call you're making right now, right?"_

Sweet Pea clearly wasn't listening as he repeatedly steam-rolled over her calling his name. 

"Sweet-"

_"Dammit Betts! I knew going to that station was a bad idea, you're fuckin' screwed and-"_

"Sweet Pea!" The blonde finally shouted, losing her patience. 

_"What!?"_

Sweet Pea finally responded, echoing back her shout. 

Betty shook her head. "I'm not locked up, and we did it, so chill the fuck out." She assured, and was met with a small beat of silence. 

_"Oh...so, what's up?"_

Betty snorted at the sudden casual change of tone. "Idiot. You were freaking out and worried about me." She mocked as she ducked underneath her bed and began searching. 

Sweet Pea let out a doubtful scoff. 

_"Shuddup, what do you want from me child?"_

Instead of her usual argument that the boy was a mere three years older, the question only instantly hardened at the blonde's features. 

"I changed my mind, Pea." She confessed, searching hands finding what she was looking for, a mix of satisfied vengeance filling the blonde's voice as she stared down at them and practically growled her next words. "And I want some revenge."

There was a millisecond pause from her friend and then no questions asked.

_"I'm in. I'll call Toni and Fangs. Place?"_

Betty shoved the old spray paint cans into her jacket to sit with the knife, not hesitating. 

"Northside, outside the Pembrooke." She answered, jaw clenched as she stood to her full height and pulled yet another object from her pockets. "Bring your spray paint collection. Hiram Lodge is into some even deeper shit than we thought."

Then there was long pause for questioning. 

_"What kind of deep shit are we talkin'?"_

Sweet Pea eventually growled back. 

Betty shot back out of her room and slipped the black ski mask over her face, making herself unrecognizable. The Serpent wrenched open the door of her trailer and locked it behind before she stepped out into the dark and trudged to her motorcycle. 

"The kind he isn't getting away with. Meet you in fifteen." She shorted, immediately hanging up to avoid more questions.

The blonde hopped onto her bike and started it up, not wasting anymore time before speeding off into the night. 

...

_"Still arguing?"_

There had been several hours since Veronica left Betty's— even knowing her father didn't suspect a thing of her and Archie's earlier rummage through his office— knowing what he was possibly capable of, the girl didn't dare relax as she lied in bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling of her dark bedroom in her sleepwear— and not that she could if she wanted with the shouting going on down the stairs. 

It was her girlfriend's voice sounding through the phone pressed to her ear that soothed her as she imagined the blonde lying mirroringly in her own bed, the brunette already having had to persuade the girl several times that she was well intact and how disastrous of an idea sneaking her away back to her trailer would be.

Even if Veronica hypocritically wanted her to. 

Wordless to her love's question, instead she raised her phone so that her parent's voices were loud and clear for anyone to hear even through her tightly closed door and miles away. 

"The Southside has defied me personally on every occasion I've tried wastefully bettering that worthless trash heap!"

" _Betty_ has not been the one personally revolting against you, Hiram!"

"She's just like the rest of them, you know she is Hermione!"

"And so what if she is!? Are the Serpents really that bad!?"

"Have you seen the amount of damage and chaos they caused throughout this town in the last year!?

"For godsake Hiram, you tried to tear down their homes for profit! What else did you expect!? I happen to have gotten to know Betty these last couple of weeks and she has been no less than wonderful to our daughter, _that's_ what matters!"

"It's all a trick, Hermione! How can you be so naive!?" 

"They're just teenagers!" 

"Exactly, relationships at their age last a week at the most!"

"Veronica and Betty have been together for a year!"

"And in keeping Veronica away from that Serpent _scum_ , it'll only be a matter of time!" 

"Do you remember when our parents tried to keep us away from each other!? We were married right out of high school!" 

"That was _completely_ different! I wasn't some trouble-following, back-talking criminal with an attitude and-" 

Veronica quickly placed the phone back against her ear and stopped listening, skin flushing with irritation. It was obvious her mother wasn't going to change her father's mind and _every time_ she thought of his apparent affiliation with the Black Hood was one thing, ridiculing her girlfriend was another— she didn't want her to. 

_"So, what I'm hearing is that I have an estimate two or so more years to save for an engagement ring and ask for your maiden hand in marriage?"_

Betty's voice joked smoothly over the line, unknowingly spreading wild butterflies into her counterpart.

Veronica flushed deeper, no longer out of irritation. 

She had to know her girlfriend was kidding of course, it was way too early for marriage— only one of the numerous reasons her parent's marriage was currently in shambles...still, sometimes she couldn't help to fantasize. 

"Is that a proposal?" The brunette teased back but teethed down on her lip anxiously, extremely grateful she was in no company but her empty room and ceiling glaring back at her to witness.

There was a nervous moments pause from Betty before her blonde hesitantly spoke. 

_"Hypothetically...if it could be...what would you say?"_

Veronica inhaled sharply as her heartbeat tripled in time, mouth dropping open in 'o' shape a few beats before she could even swallow to laugh weakly.

"First, I would say it needs some major Hallmark workshopping baby."

Her nervous higher than normal tone was fortunately disguised in her and Betty's own followed giggling at her words.

All-too soon after there was a blanket of silence from the both of them, then the brunette breathed out quietly. 

"Then I would say _hell yes_...hypothetically." She quickly add. 

_"Y...Yeah?"_

Veronica thought it was her love's disbelieving breath she could hear caught over the phone line that time. Betty just sounded adorably and unusually nervous, it increased her confidence. 

"Yeah." She echoed warmly. 

Betty's throat cleared, she chuckled albeit jittery, then expressed awkwardly. 

_"Well...alright then."_

"Okay then." 

Veronica quickly countered, almost beaming in cue with the grin she could practically hear in her blonde's voice.

Yet, before either girl could awkwardly say more— a third blaring voice of Hermione Lodge broke through even the phone pressed up to her daughter's ear. 

"Oh, step off your high horse Hiram! I knew you when you owned nothing but the second-hand clothes on your back and people used to call you 'the monobrow' when you went around town in that beat-up old van you used to sell jazz fusion mixtapes out of!" 

Betty practically choked on her laughter, and Veronica smirked.

_"Did I mention how much I think I might actually love your mom?"_

The blonde disclosed to her, nothing short of sighing happily.

Veronica rolled her eyes. 

"Do _I_ have to mention how creepy that sounds?" She rebutted.

_"Not in that way."_

Betty snorted before she teased. 

_"I'm into younger, much...shorter and bossier women."_

"I already want a divorce, Betty." 

Veronica's laughter severely undercut her pretending to be annoyed. 

Just as Betty began to join her in her laughter however, Hiram's distant yelling cut out all chances of a response.

"That Serpent is nothing but trouble and will bring our daughter down with her! I thought you taught Veronica better than to be so _simple-minded_ in blindly following the first smooth-talking hoodlum that came her way, no less a damn girl!" 

The temporary light-hearted amusement fell between the couple as the parents continued back and forth. 

_"V, I'm sorry..."_

Betty sounded calm, easing, and guilty— but the Veronica could still hear just how much effort the blonde put into the words controlling her anger. 

"Stop." 

Veronica abruptly interrupted, her own fists roughly twisted within her sheets on account of her father as good as calling her some naive floozy, but she would be damned if she let her girlfriend undergo the guilt for the man's wrongdoings. 

The brunette sighed.

"No apologizing, Betty. _None_ of this is your fault." 

Betty's answering silence said quite the opposite, and so she attempted to joke feebly.

"...so, why can't I strangle him again?" 

That at least got a sad humored sigh out of her love, the brunette's tightened fists relaxed against her mattress. 

_"Have you told Cheryl about...you know? I told the rest of the gang, they were seriously pissed."_

Betty wandered off subject, sounding less guilty and angry, and relieving them both. 

Veronica huffed, recalling the very said moment her redheaded best friend's motorbike parked them in front of the Pembrooke earlier that night. 

"I did, fifteen minutes and I just barely stopped her from getting off her bike and following me into the house to smother my father with his necktie." 

Though, it wasn't as though the brunette couldn't have done the same an hour earlier. 

Betty's faint chuckle reverberated through the phone, a chuckle almost sentimental. 

_"Sounds like Cheryl, also sounds like you, and I'm pretty sure Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs would have happily joined in on the onslaught."_

Veronica couldn't help the warmth that filled her at thought of her protective girlfriend and group of friends, a dimmed smile fell to her lips— she didn't want to think what her father or the Black Hood could possibly do to take that away. 

_"So hey, I think I know what will make you feel a little better though..."_

The brunette blinked having zoned out and zoned back in to her love's voice, suddenly lilted lightly and oddly a little anxious than before. 

"You." She answered automatically, her eyes softening affectionately. 

_"Even better."_

Betty countered, entirely too sure. 

Veronica's affectionate eyes narrowed at her ceiling suspiciously. 

"Even better than _you_?" 

The disbelief in her tone was clear and purposely to make the Serpent fully aware of that. 

As she suspected, her blonde yielded. 

_"Okay, so maybe just a close second."_

It didn't lessen Veronica's suspicious curiosity at all.

But the brunette was going to give her girlfriend the benefit of the doubt. As she always would.

"I'm listening..." She prompted slowly in anticipation, and maybe just a little eagerness rolling off on her at her girlfriend's obvious sudden delighted demeanor. 

_"Look outside your window, beautiful. Don't worry, I'm already home."_

The change of weighing guilt to thrill was evident in Betty's tone as she didn't wait to continue. 

Veronica frowned, very confused. 

_Window?_

_And why wouldn't Betty be at the trailer? She'd left her at her home hadn't she?_

The intrigued brunette sat straight and slowly rose from her bed to do as told, phone still in hand and clad in only t-shirt and short-shorts, she crossed the floor to her room window peeking out into the dark. 

Empty neighborhood street, flawlessly trimmed lawn and her father's new ambiguous buy, a shiny black Mercedes he had only just recently pulled out from the garage that evening and had parked out in front. 

Veronica squinted, seeing nothing different at first, nothing un-ordinary or out of place to make sense of her girlfriend's newfound attitude...

And then she saw it. 

The brunette gasped, eyes going wide, a hand flying up to clap over her open mouth and just barely gripping her phone in time to prevent the device from flying across the room. 

"O-Oh...my... _god_." 

Veronica could barely even muffle the words coherently. 

"Betty!" She shrieked just barely under her breath in shock and suddenly afraid her parents would overhear and come bursting through her room to see what the brunette herself couldn't take her eyes off. 

On the very front of her father's shiny new addition, nearly out of her eye-line but certainly nowhere near unnoticeable were the rather large spray painted letters in neon red and grey. 

**P A Y B A C K S A B I T C H**

Surrounding it were a bunch of recognizable cartoonish green snakes and a few varied red hearts painted directly across the windshield.

_"Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni lended me a hand, but the hearts are from me to you actually. Like it?"_

Betty voiced cheekily as ever in her ear.   
  
Veronica shook her head shortly to and fro, dropping her hand to mutter the only words her mind wondered. "I...how?" 

The Serpent merely hummed at the question. 

_"I don't know, I think everyone started finally coming around on your whole 'don't get mad, get even' thing....had a few old spray paint cans lying around anddd..."_

As her blonde dwindled off sounding all-too casually amused with herself, undoubtedly at Veronica's unusual stunned to silence state— the brunette kept her blatant gaze peeled to the defaced Mercedes as her mind raced. 

Never had anyone vandalized anything for her before. 

Veronica didn't know if she should scold her girlfriend for being out so late with the dangers in Riverdale or flattered...

Ultimately, she knew she probably shouldn't have felt as truly elated as she actually was. 

The brunette only found herself laughing, uncontrollably, deliriously, laughing as she imagined her father's reaction over and over. 

"I am definitely taking that divorce back." She breathed blissfully between to the sound of her love's echoed laughter and her own lips curved upward and still slightly stunned and amazed at the display outside her window. "Baby, my dad is going to freak and he's going to want to _ravage_ against you and the Serpents, you know that right?" 

The retaliation was certainly well-deserved after what he had done to Betty's trailer— but the back of her mind worried the very real possibility of the man hurting the people she loved. 

_"Nothing new at least."_

Veronica could still hear the pleasant inflection in her girlfriend's tone as she retorted, not half as concerned as one usually should be going up her father— as she once again contemplated between scold and flatter, the Serpent continued. 

_"And anyway, no one makes my girl cry, so I think I'd like to call it worth it for her."_

So, flattery it was. 

The brunette felt her smile stretch uncontrollable. 

" _Just_ for me?" She jibed back knowingly, flipping phone briefly around to capture a few memorable pictures. 

_"Alright, I won't lie it did also give me a feeling of a million dollars standing at the end of a rainbow with a unicorn, fireworks and sunshine bursting out of me."_  
  
Veronica giggled.

"I love you so so so so much, Betty. Thank you..." 

Sheened with involuntary tears, _yet again_ , her brown eyes gleamed staring out the clear glass down to the Pembrooke driveway like she was staring at the blonde herself.

No one else could make her smile, laugh even, after such a harrowing day.

_God it's as if she gave you a diamond ring, not illegally vandalized your dad's rather expensive car for you, calm down Lodge_

The brunette blushed at her own thoughts.

_"Don't thank me, V. I love you too, that's why I would do it anytime."_

Betty lightly admonished, then furthered. 

_"I mean it. Literally. Anytime...like I'm kind of considering making it a daily routine from now on, sooo..."_

Veronica scoffed amused, or tried as she was cut off mid-yawn. 

_"Exhausted?"_

Her girlfriend spoke softly, no longer joking. 

"A little." 

She was stubborn to admit, countered as she practically dragged herself back over to bed after one last look at her love's lovely artwork, collapsing onto it. 

_"Get some sleep, babe. I promise, I'll call first thing."_

The blonde didn't sound particularly happy about it, reminiscent of the longing as the two parted ways earlier that night. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed just as unhappily as she burrowed into her blankets, turning with her back towards the door and blocking out the continuous noise of fighting.

"No, Betty wait." She stopped, working to settle the phone onto the pillow directly next to her ear before sighing into it. "Will you...just talk to me until I fall asleep?" 

The couple had done so on several occasions since Veronica was grounded, the brunette would peacefully wake to an ended call and a sweet goodnight text—although, she imagined there would be a vastly different wake up call in the morning once her father saw the state of his new car. 

Betty was truly too good to her.

And she silently vowed to let the blonde know as much when they met again. 

Whenever that would be. 

Veronica could hear her girlfriend intake a hesitant breath, only realizing she had been frowning as it deepened at the reaction. 

_"I don't know, V..."_

"Why?" 

She didn't mean her response to be so instantaneous, nor her tone to be so dejected. It was anyway. 

And Betty didn't wait a beat. 

_"Because you snore."_

The brunette gaped, both relieved and indignant only to her bedroom walls. 

"I do _not_."

"Do to."

Veronica pressed her lips together and didn't justify the claim, _false_ claim, with another response until the Serpent faked a reluctant groan. 

_"Alright it's cute, so I guess I'll have to allow it."_

Betty was definitely smirking. 

"Oh why thank you, your excellency."

She faintly smirked herself, would have rolled her eyes too if they weren't already drooping and simply settled for closing them instead. 

_"Everything's going to be okay, Veronica. I swear, I won't ever let him hurt you."_

Her blonde's voice suddenly softened next to her ear again, but there was no doubting that hard promising undertone.

Betty being unsettled with her being under the same roof of a man who associated with a killer, or the killer himself, maybe Ghoulies, or all three— steely, safe, and unwavering— the words would stick to Veronica's very heart for better _and_ worse. 

And she swore to believe them for both their sakes. 

In lieu of sluggish incoherent response, the brunette curled into soft pillow and even softer mattress, shutting down her worrisome thoughts and drifting easily off to the sound of her girlfriend's voice and the unconsciousness calling her name.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Betty and I barely get to spend enough time together as it is these days."
> 
> "Okay, how come I didn't know you were into basketball?" 
> 
> "Only way to survive around here, Betts. Eat or be eaten." 
> 
> "I would strongly recommend you to remove that hand right now."
> 
> "I will only ever be loyal to you, alright?"
> 
> "I was hoping you'd come with me on one of those super secret missions..."
> 
> "It's Betty, she's vulnerable." 
> 
> "Betty, it's been almost two weeks, don't stop."
> 
> "We're talking about the possibility of your dad going to jail again."
> 
> "If we don't stop him now, he's just going to keep threatening you and I can't let that happen." 
> 
> "You could break up with me."
> 
> "Let's go!"
> 
> "Hey Ronnie, long time no see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stronger explicit language/sexual language than usual. No actually depicted smut. Writing full-on steamy scenes make me uncomfortable, so just try and use your imagination with me here ;).

_"Hey babe."_

Veronica discreetly shut her room door behind her as her girlfriend sounded through the device in her hand placed on speaker— well as discreetly as one could be after racing from the breakfast table where she was uncomfortably forced to sit opposite a man she despised, mainly excusing herself quickly to her mother to take the very important call from 'Kevin' as her phone rang. 

Sauntering over to sit at her vanity and placing the phone down, the brunette's frown reflected off the mirror in front of her at those two simple words out of her blonde. 

"Don't 'hey babe' me, I haven't seen you in two days nor heard from you in one, it's already Friday, and I am not a happy girlfriend, Elizabeth Cooper." The girl spoke both hushed and rushed as she ran a hairbrush through her less than stellar bed-head in preparation for the school day ahead. 

Despite her mother's continuous efforts, she was still grounded until further notice. 

Betty checked in over text, though short and mostly making sure her dad hadn't tried anything— not that Veronica would let him within ten feet if they were in the same room together before leaving, and only after several mornings refusals had he'd practically forced her to have breakfast at the table instead of her room.

She couldn't stomach a single bite as her insides churned with the man smiling across the table at her as if he'd done nothing wrong, his very presence unsettled her. 

_"Uh...I only grasped about half those things babe, please don't call me Elizabeth, you sound creepily similar to my mom."_

Betty sounded breathlessly over the line, distant almost, and made the brunette's eyebrows furrow in wonder as she brushed. 

"Betty." She persisted sternly, aware of her girlfriend's avoiding hearing her love let out a sigh. 

_"Okay, I'm sorry. Your dad's been hovering like a shadow, you know?"_

Veronica tightened the grip on her hairbrush, eyeing her own disgruntled gaze in the mirror. 

She really did know.

The man was there if she were anywhere outside of the house, school, or cheer practice. Sneaking around was getting more and more difficult to manage without being caught and her father wasn't even the only shadow hovering over them. 

Nothing if not resilient, Veronica had wiped her tears at its discovery and kept her silence as she was offered with the decision from the gang if to do anything with the mysterious half cellphone number found in her father's office inside the stolen Black Hood file. 

It would mean taking down and possibly imprisoning her own father, _again_ after all. 

Even if Betty insisted the group could find the Black Hood another way instead of using the evidence, she knew it would mean putting the rest of town at jeopardy. 

And still—Veronica hesitated in going further. 

She despised her father, didn't she? _Hated_ him for both his association with the Black Hood and taking Betty away. 

"I snuck off to your trailer yesterday, you weren't there." 

Veronica pressed the blonde unhappily instead of answering a question they both knew.

She had been turned away by a surly Alice Cooper only twice too many times to maintain her patience with her girlfriend's generally absent mother and the blonde's hesitance told her it was more than just her father's hovering that was keeping her away. 

_"...so, the Serpents have also had job after job lately..."_

The brunette sighed.

That would explain the hesitance. 

Betty knew she wouldn't like it, the jobs, especially the ones that left the blonde bruised and drained. 

"I understand, but I won't be happy about it." 

Veronica coped solemnly, not pleased with the blonde's absence and reluctant to argue her withholding on her gang duties simply not to upset her. "How did the super secret mission go anyway?" She teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.

_"Not exactly spies for the CIA, babe."_

She could hear both the immediate exasperation and amusement in her girlfriend's tone. 

Veronica hummed, pretending to think as she applied her lipstick. 

"Semi-illegal rituals with leather jacket wearing pals?" 

Betty scoffed.

_"Also, not a cult or religion."_

"You're _my_ religion." The brunette countered back instantly with a vivacious smirk to herself and an overly flirtatious and dreamy tone. 

Betty snickered over the line, and the smirk only grew larger as she imagined the sight of her blonde lover's playfully rolling eyes at her theatrics. 

_"It was a break and pay job."_

The Serpent corrected exactly. 

"And in non-gang affiliated laymen terms?" 

Veronica's eyes narrowed in confusion as she slowly rubbed her newly painted lips together smirk faltering, she didn't like the sound at all. 

Betty's hesitance audibly returned. 

_"We had a, uh...guy who wouldn't pay us after we...did a small favor for him last week..."_

Veronica's lipstick hand worriedly paused mid-air, of course reading between all the lines, no matter how many details her girlfriend skimped on.

_"...we may or not have tracked him to his place, broke the locks and broke...well, er, we made him."_

The brunette uneasily closed her eyes shut on her mirror-self and couldn't have cared less for whoever the guy was as he probably deserved it coming from the Serpents, she immediately questioned her love. 

"Are you hurt?" 

_"Completely unharmed, promise V."_

Betty sounded back with ease, still distant yet genuine enough. 

Veronica breathed out audibly, having not even realized she had been holding her breath to start with until she heard the words, relieved eyes flickering back open to her vanity. 

_"Please don't worry so much, relax babe."_

Betty added, voiced with concern in _her_ voice for the brunette— which was just ridiculous because the blonde was the one putting herself at risk on a daily basis, _not_ Veronica. She always worried with Betty out on gang business, even more so with the Black Hood, and recently her father too. 

Her father was, as expected, none-too-happy the moment he laid eyes on his spray painted Mercedes days before. So furious even, the usually put-together man freaked out and put on quite the tantrum-like show for the neighbors right on their front lawn before her mother finally coaxed him inside. In view of the entire scene from her bedroom window, Veronica gleamed and naturally denied knowing anything of the sort when furiously interrogated about it later— the Serpent gang had gotten a huge kick out of her thoroughly detailed narrative of the whole thing.

Betty and the others were the obvious suspects and top of her father's accusation list— unfortunately for him, he simply had zero proof for arrest and a huge blow to his oversized ego to stomp humorously around the home with for a sole day before having the whole Mercedes detailed and restored to its original non-painted with the word _bitch_ condition. 

"I will never not worry about you babe, you know that." 

Veronica scoffed finished with her lips, setting down the tube onto her table. 

As much as the gesture meant and made her want to kiss her girlfriend senselessly all over— the girl still couldn't shake the feeling that her father had something on the surface up his sleeve as usual. 

And Betty's nonchalance for the well-being of herself was doing nothing for the anxiety she felt— nor her sudden heavy breathing.

The brunette sat rigid, expression falling. 

"Betty, what is that sound? You're breathing heavy and you sound distant..." She urged slowly, fearing her girlfriend was really hurt and lying to her about it. 

_"I'm just running. Like I do almost every morning?"_

Betty panted from her speaker phone, her tone sounding puzzled. 

The blonde did mostly have a habit of running the Southside streets or the Sweet Water trail way too early in the mornings like only an insane person would— really when the Serpent was on edge or stressed, which the both of them had every reason to be as of late. How could she forget? 

Veronica's tense form slackened, as if she weren't just about ready to skip school and go charging to the Southside. 

Maybe she did need to relax. 

"Running?" The brunette quirked a curious dark eyebrow, as though it weren't only to her mirror-self.

 _"Just letting off some steam."_

Betty sighed to her.

_"I miss you."_

Veronica's lips curled into a sad kind of smile at the three soft little words frequently exchanged between the two of them recently as she unnecessarily eyed the face of her cellphone. 

"Ever consider just watching The Notebook and devouring an entire tub of ice cream like a normal cliche?" 

She teased instead of returning the obvious. Of course she missed Betty like crazy, even her love's fond little quirks that included exercising or near fist fights over the ice cream and movies the brunette had been filling in her grounded afternoons with without the blonde at her side. 

Betty snorted. 

_"As much as I usually love shirtless Ryan Gosling and risk of type two diabetes-"_

Veronica giggled. 

_"-I'd prefer running today. I've, um, also been missing you...you know, in other ways, so."_

The blonde finished rather awkwardly.

That mystery took a seconds pause, but didn't take the brunette at all long to figure out. 

_Oh_

Veronica grinned very pleased, leaning into her table to rest chin in hands with interest. 

" _Do_ go on, baby." 

It seemed her girlfriend's run for relief was on account of more than one reason she was stressed and on edge— _arousal_ being the second. 

_"Veronica."_

Betty warned, followed by huff. 

"So, you've been horny." 

The brunette bluntly put, waving a nonchalant hand around. 

_"V-Veronica! You can't just say stuff like that!"_

Veronica burst into laughter, immediately imagining her girlfriend's adorably rare blush and uncomfortable expression as she choked on her name. 

How the girl went from downright scandalous in the heat of a moment to virtuous so quickly when it came to 'taking things into her own hands' was amusing, especially as the blonde was vastly the opposite when they were in bed _together_.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed, Betty. Honestly, everybody does it and it's perfectly natural." The brunette tsked, barely managing to admonish between giggles. "You know for a member of the most notorious gang in town, you're very bashful about this sort of thing."

_"Yeah, well I'm a gang member. Not a sex speaking maniac."_

Veronica could practically hear Betty rolling her eyes, she could also see the blonde's cheeks reddening as she ran...not to mention a sweat glistening stomach in mere sports bra...long toned legs in only a very short pair of shorts...

It had been quite a while for them.

The brunette crossed and squeezed her legs together, sudden burning between them while she continued to tease. 

" _I_ , for one, still get my frustrations out the old fashion way." 

The words meant to be coy, came out half a moan instead as friction from the new rubbing of her legs. 

_"No, V."_

The warning, near whimper, over the line did little to stop her. 

She pitilessly persisted on, biting lip in mirror as her memories wondered. 

"I mean just last night, I was lying in my bed, thinking about how much I... _missed_ you and-" 

_"Alright, I'm going to go."_

Her blonde's long low groaned words cut her off then, and shot heat straight down amid the space of Veronica's crossed south— it was simultaneous with a sound the brunette assumed was either a very abrupt running stop or running trip. 

Veronica's steamy amused smile. 

"But why?" Her previously lustfilled words were anything but, filled with faux confusion and very real disappointment. 

_"You know why."_

Betty grumbled with finality, obviously not believing her facade for a second. 

Veronica slightly sulked slouched into her chair, uncrossing her heat to cool— sadly, it wouldn't do her any good before school and without her girlfriend's physical presence anyways. 

But then her Serpent gave an audible wavering pause. 

_"Last night, did you really...?"_

The brunette's smirk returned in full at the hunger she could oh-so clearly hear in her love's semi-reluctant to ask tone. 

Veronica admittedly had, though unfortunately found herself no less satisfied than when she began. 

"I guess you'll never know, now will you?" She paid back, albeit stubbornly. 

Betty let out another groan, footfalls heard hitting the ground again. 

The brunette giggled. "Where are you running off to exactly?"

_"Anywhere. Very far. Very fast. I'll call you later...maybe."_

Came her girlfriend's grumbling breathlessly panting reply, along with several other incoherent grumpy mutterings Veronica had to actually pick up her phone to hear and roll her amused eyes. 

"Well, you love me really, so you better Cooper." She poked playfully to the image of her smiling yet frustrated blonde, though before she could go on sound of footsteps nearing the outside of her closed door had her dark eyes darting over and hastily giving her phone kisses goodbye to slyly whisper. "Have fun, baby."

A quick and undoubtedly smart quip from Betty, and the brunette was quick to end the call, gripping phone in hand in time for the expected knock at her door. 

"Come in." She called grudgingly. 

The two words were spoken to the tune of an incessant blasting car horn sounding outside her window on cue— a sign of the usual impatient Cheryl having arrived to pick her up.

Her door swung up, luckily not to reveal her father, but her mother exchanging a look with her instead— stood in doorway and sat at the vanity, both Lodge women rolled their eyes in unison. 

"That girl." Hermione shook her head at the young redheaded spitfire, a nurturing smile lifting her lips when she tilted her head down at her daughter. "Ready for school, mija?"

"Yes ma'm." 

Veronica nodded cheerily, a grin at the woman as she finalized her morning routine by finally stood from her vanity and grabbing her bag off the floor next to her bed. 

Hermione gave the girl a mirthful look whilst she practically skipped her way over to the door. 

"Well, you seem awfully more chipper than earlier at breakfast. Have an enjoyable phone call with _Kevin_ , did you?" 

The woman rose a knowing eyebrow. 

Veronica scoffed, stopped to stand right in front. 

Of course her mother knew she was still seeing Betty, it wasn't as if she could hide it from her after their close call run-in on the stairs. Skimping on the many details including snooping in her father's office, finding his Black Hood file, and nearly committing an act of strangulation—she retold the woman the rest of the day spent in Betty's trailer, hanging out _not_ making out, and eating dinner the blonde had so graciously cooked for them. 

That utterance prompted several 'aws' out of the woman and sly comment about how 'married' the young couple seemed to already be, which in turn prompted an immediate flustered state out of the teenager. 

Veronica felt her already reddened cheeks get a lot darker as she thought back to the kind of-sort of-maybe proposal conversation she and her love had on the phone days before, simply releasing a small satisfied smile to her mother's pressing expression.

" _Very_ enjoyable, mom." 

She laid a hand on the smirking woman's arm, kissing her cheek in passing goodbye as she left the room to down the stairs before her best friend blew her horn out of operation— with a new pep in her step to start the day, the brunette scantily avoided her father's attempt at putting down his paper at the breakfast table for a phony hug goodbye from her and was gone through the front door in seconds.

That said nothing for the camera phoned half number that could quite possibly seal the man's fate felt burning the insides of her pockets. 

...

As it turned out classes nor after school cheer practices stopped for uneasy decisions regarding corrupt fathers— not even sexual frustration, or badgering friends for that matter.

"Oh come on, you have to tell me." 

Veronica and Toni sat on the gym floor next to one another, stretching legs apart alongside the seventeen other girls on their squad sitting around. 

"Toni, for the last time I am _not_ going to tell you whether or not sneaking around now with Betty turns me on as much as you and Cheryl before she was emancipated."

Veronica scoffed over at her practically pouting friend as she reached out to touch her toes. 

It was all-too true however.

There was a certain exhilarating turn on to almost being caught as many times as her and Betty had— and usually she wouldn't mind sharing of her sexual escapades— but she wasn't about to admit it to be used as the latest gossip between the group, particularly from the girl asking.

"Why not?" Toni scoffed back and kept her pressing voice low while she leaned over smirking. "It does, doesn't it?" 

Veronica remained a straight face, giving nothing away but the plain amusement in her eyes. "Toni..." She warned playfully.

Toni leaned back with her hands on the floor, sighing tiredly. "Veronica, Kev and I are two of your biggest stans, his words not mine." She rolled her eyes before shrugging. "What would we possibly do if we knew?" 

Veronica stopped her stretching too, leant back on her own hands and giving the pink-haired girl a pointed look at her too-innocent act. 

"Let's see, you will forever use it as blackmail material for Betty to embarrass her in front of the guys." The brunette clicked her tongue in mockery. "While Kevin is going to try not to, but ultimately fail and squeal it for all of mankind to hear, am I right?" She tilted her head knowingly. 

And Toni blinked warily. 

"That's scarily accurate." 

Veronica smiled proudly, hair flipping. "Thanks." 

The pink-haired girl glared then and the brunette paid no attention to it as she continued to tease. 

"Now as much as I treasure your fixation with it, Betty and I's turn ons are simply not anyone's business." She stretched over and pinched at the glaring girl's cheek, pretending to coo. "No matter how _cute_ their pouting munchkin act is." 

Toni swiped at the hands and she only laughed pulling away, both of them standing on their feet from their positions and in front of one another. 

"Your girlfriend would tell me." The Serpent grumbled defeatedly, side stretching. 

As well as bluffing.

Veronica noted with a small laugh, knowing her girlfriend would sooner take her knife to her prized motorbike. 

"No, she really wouldn't." The brunette countered, easily mirroring the body stretch. 

"Ughhh, why are you like this?" 

Toni groaned at her, stretch and shoulders falling in defeat. 

While Veronica winked in return.

"It's fun." She countered smugly, reaching hands over head. 

Toni snorted, small smile covering her expression while reaching her own hands over head. "So, talk to your dad yet?" 

The pink-haired girl changed the subject, tone much softer than before as they met nearly same color eyes.

Immediately, a more solemn air fell in the space between the two girls. 

Veronica slowly shook her head, heavily dropping tired arms to her sides and frowning deeply. "I haven't talked to him since... "

Toni merely nodded at what she couldn't finish while dropping arms too, obviously knowing the rest.

"And I don't plan on it, god, I can't even look him in the face without wanting to vomit." The brunette sighed, palm raising back up to squeeze in comfort at the designated co-captain whistle around her neck. 

Toni neared in two steps looking apologetic, laying hand on her shoulder meaningfully.

"I'm with you, Lodge."

Veronica rested a hand over her pink-haired friend's and squeezed that too while shooting her a grateful look, just as the distinctive sound of a whistle blew from the only other whistle bearing member of the cheerleaders. 

Veronica and Toni split on command, taking up their places— the former by her best friend's side and the latter in the merge of girls approaching. 

"Okay Vixens, circle around!" The brunette clapped her hands together, regaining a little bit of her previous pep as the squad followed orders and stood just before them. 

Cheryl's eyes narrowed, placing hands on hips as she stared each and every one of her pupils down. 

"Now as you ladies _should_ know, Riverdale High is holding its first in-school pep rally of the year on Monday to start off the basketball season and we _will_ be putting on our best performance for ushering in the team." 

Veronica rolled her eyes both annoyed and amused at the redhead's blatant threatening tone— while the girl's girlfriend looked on from the front of the crowd in what the brunette would only deem admiration for her own mental's sake— the other girls looked absolutely petrified. 

The brunette sighed, more gently addressing them herself. 

"What Cheryl _means_ is that we should all try our very best to do a good show, but ultimately try and have fun." 

At that, all the girls seemed to relax while it was Cheryl's turn to roll her eyes.

But she easily ignored the redhead, throwing her arms up and cheering spiritedly. 

"Now, since everyone already has the cheer routine down, I say we start some practice shooting and show those rival squads whose school is the best!" 

There were added rounds of cheers and whistles from the aroused squad. 

Cheryl twirled an idle finger through the air. "Alright, let's line it up girls!" She blew her whistle again and all but one went grabbing for the basketballs off multiple racks placed around the sides of the gym. 

"Do you have to be so harsh with them?" 

Veronica held her ear and threw a half glare at the redhead as she turned on her, the shrill ringing still resounding the insides of her head where the girl had blown.

Cheryl looked at her almost offended, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You know that's my brand." She scoffed before giving a clever smirk. "Besides we wouldn't be as good as we are if both of us were Britney Allen, one of us has to be Winnie Harper." 

Veronica shook her head, reluctant to admit but couldn't disagree that it worked. 

The girls did tend to stay in line with their mostly hot and cold dynamic thus far. 

And they would certainly need it for their basketball shooting routine in introduction for the players at the pep rally. 

"Winnie Harper could never." She released a smirk. 

Cheryl shared her smirk and the two girls exchanged a crafty high five just as Toni joined them, the Serpent juggling three balls at once.

The redhead relieved her girlfriend of two from the three with a kiss pressed to the slightly shorter girl's pleased smiling cheek, before turning and giving a look while passing over the third ball into the brunette's waiting hands. 

"So, what were you two hens gossiping about earlier?" Her voice softened as she mostly casted her pointed gaze to her best friend. "You were upset." 

Veronica sighed tiredly while lining up for the drill along with the rest of the girls in front of the nearest court, Toni was first, then Cheryl, herself last, and the other girls behind. 

"Oh, just literally sickening fathers." 

Sarcasm heavily bled through her tone. 

Cheryl instantly glanced strangely over her shoulder, as did Toni at that— the brunette narrowed her eyes as the couple shared a look and subtle twin head shakes so clearly she'd have to blind to miss.

" _My_ father?" She clarified slowly the suspicion in her voice as hidden as the unsubtle exchanged look between the two, eyebrows rose. 

_Who else's father could they possibly be discussing?_

"Hiram." Toni confirmed with a nod rather unnecessarily while quickly turning away and making her shot at the court, the ball sliding into the net easily.

But Veronica's suspicious look didn't let up on the other girl and watched as Cheryl opened her mouth as if to say something then seemed to decide against it, simply scoffing annoyed. 

"Ugh, right. Category _non_ -dilf material." The redhead griped inappropriately. 

"Babe." Toni reprimanded with a groan, looking back over her shoulder. 

"Really, Cheryl?" Veronica shared in the pink-haired girl's disgusted expression, the comment making the brunette want to puke up her lunch so considerably her previous suspicion sense was temporarily distracted. 

Cheryl simply stared back at them both and shrugged. "Well, if you're into that." She merely offered with loving light tap to her girlfriend's rear with both hands as she was unknowingly holding up their line. 

Toni shook her head, but dutifully went venturing off for her ball shot to return to the back of line. 

Veronica shuddered. 

"Which literally no one is, Cher, but thanks for _that_ visual." She hissed with even the more sarcasm over the redhead's shoulder as she lined up to shoot. 

Cheryl shot and made it into the net, just like her girlfriend before her. 

As the redhead went for her ball to join Toni in the back of the line however— Veronica lined up her shot at the court and missed, unlike the other two. 

So, she wasn't the sportiest. 

The brunette groaned quietly to herself, trudging her way to the ball having perfectly landed and rolled to the side of the court then made her way to the back of the line too as the other girls began shooting. 

Cheryl quirked an eyebrow back at the unhappy expression. 

"How about a visual of your father's expression as he comes home to a closet of shredded thousand dollar suits and a note saying his daughter has left to join the Southside Serpents full time." She tried. 

Veronica snorted. "Better." She backed it with a bitter huff. "Unfortunately though, I am still very much grounded and he keeps those obnoxious suits under just as much lock and key as me now a days." 

Just like every day for the past two weeks under her excessive supervision, the brunette would be going straight home after practice. 

The redhead pursed her lips and retorted. 

"Look on the bright side, at least you've gotten a break from certain...pesky, fair-haired south menace relatives of mine." 

_Betty_

Veronica felt a small smile raising the corner of her lips at the mention of her love, and a glare at her dark eyes.

"Hey, that's still my girlfriend you're talking about." She warned.

Cheryl blinked back at her in faux bewilderment. "Exactly why I said it." 

"Well, _don't_." She shut down immediate and coolly, moving the weighty basketball cradled in her two hands to rest on her hip. "I miss her the most..."

The brunette had attempted a hardening to her warning look, but her irises only served to soften gloomily instead to the cadence of her words and thoughts of her absent girlfriend. 

It made Cheryl visibly soften too, sighing.

"As much as I can't possibly fathom _why_ , you do still have that number you know." She suggested.

Veronica merely nodded slowly, gaze falling to taking a sudden interest in the gym's wooden flooring.

Turning back around too, Toni piped in to help causing the brunette to flicker her gaze back upward. 

"Hey, and once we find the other half, maybe we'll bring down both the Black Hood and your dad." She shrugged encouragingly. "Then you'll never have to miss blondie again." 

By then they were back to the front of the line, Toni and Cheryl were busied with shooting while Veronica was briefly left alone once more.

Her thoughts, considering, contemplating. 

And _damning_ that number, even from the afar space of her bag crammed into a random locker in the lockeroom, still feeling as though it was burning into her. 

Veronica's features sombered stonily. 

"Yeah..." She whispered to no one in particularly, gripped to the ball in her hands as she was met with the front of the line once more.

The brunette shot with her everything. 

And miss yet again. 

_Great..._

The same routine carried on for the next thirty minutes. 

Toni excelling the rest of the them and Cheryl doing just as mediocre as the other girls, apparently archery had some perks for coordination— the couple had since retreated to the bleachers flirting by the looks of red cheeks and lingering touches— most of the girls had abandoned the sport for break, mingling on the sidelines with water and towels.

Only Veronica went at it alone, shooting basketballs far passed nets fruitlessly— mind clouded with her stressing thoughts, never mind that Betty wasn't exactly the only one with certain _frustrations_ to work out. 

The brunette's form fell pitiably as the ball bounced off the backboard of the court and flew passed her once again. 

Amid-millionth sigh and turn-around for retrieval, a cool voice she'd been longing to hear rose up from behind her yanking her right out of her miserable state.

"Wow babe, you really suck at this." 

Veronica spun instantly, her breath caught at the sight of the blonde stood a mere few feet away from her with the runaway ball held firmly in her hands. 

_"Betty?"_

Her eyes widened in surprise and brimmed with unmistakable excitement for the first time in the days since she'd seen her love's beautiful face. 

Betty breathed out serenely, dropping the ball in haste as her girlfriend landed in her arms, wrapping around her neck and making the grinning Serpent stagger hugging tightly at the brunette's waist.

_Home_

The blonde couldn't but think, inhaling the girl's scent and promptly blushing as her mind wandered back to the kind of-sort of-maybe answering yes to her _hypothetical_ proposal days before. 

"What are you doing here?" Veronica avidly demanded, smiling feeling a small peck into her neck as she did so. " _How'd_ you get in here?" The brunette followed, drawing away just enough to graze her finger along the blonde's jawline and subtly check her over for any injuries she might have 'forgotten' to mention earlier. 

Besides slightly reddish knuckles, not as uncommon to see as she wished, there was none which was an immense relief. 

Betty held her loosely around the waist, sighing dramatically. "Oh well, I just couldn't stay away, not a day longer." She cheekily tilted her head back towards one of the two gymnasium entrance and exit points. "Also, the back door was left open and I just happened to be walking by and wandered in."

Veronica's smile broadened at the blonde risking dropping by her practice and sneaking in because she missed her just as much. 

There were already tactless murmurs of Veronica Lodge's rumored 'secret Serpent girlfriend', she imagined the usual looks from the intrigued to the dirty stares and the fearful— ignoring them all for the girl in front of her with fingers at her waist, grazing the sliver of tan skin exposed by her cropped practice tee. 

The brunette fought down a shiver as Betty's irises twinkled her amusement. 

"So, where's the rest of your shirt?" The Serpent clucked playfully. 

"You don't approve?" 

Veronica simply retorted as playfully and not believing her own words for a second, even in worn cheer short-shorts and baseball cropped tee she could see the excited parts of her girlfriend seem to arise. 

As she suspected Betty snorted in the same disbelieving manner, eyes trailing her form. 

"Oh no, just don't like other people seeing it. _I_ approve of this very much, I mean a major step up from your former 'I'm going to throttle the world' look." 

Veronica giggled, pushing lightly into the smirking blonde's stomach with the reminder of the previous nights— the girl not even giving a single flinch as her heated gaze never left toned tanned legs in knee-highs, an accentuated chest, and stomach.

"Fucking gorgeous..." She murmured dazedly. 

The brunette scoffed, watching just like that as the prude-like girl over the phone earlier went thrown aside. 

"Watch your tongue, you're in a school setting now Ms. Cooper." She humorously chided. 

While heated blue eyes flickered back up to brown. 

"How about you _fucking_ watch it for me, babe?" 

Betty breathed hotly, from her lips to eyes.

Veronica shook her head affectionately, lightly stood on her toes cupping her love's cheeks and speaking fluently. 

"Te adoro, mi amor." _I adore you, my love_

The blonde's eyebrows rose slowly, blinking in wonder at the completely baffling Spanish left from her girl's talented tongue— in more ways than one apparently. 

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but it sounded really sexy." She murmured, sneakily sliding a hand down and quickly pinching at the brunette's hardly covered backside in her shorts. 

Veronica squeaked laughing, hips instinctively jutting into an also laughing Betty's— both were grinning like fools.

While being openly obvious in the middle of the floor with everyone watching, and eyes locked maybe a little too hot and bothered, a very real reminder of how still equally frustrated they both were...

An annoyingly shrill whistle blowing suddenly jerked the couple out of their blissful bubble. 

Both girls groaned, Betty especially as she slumped against the brunette's shoulder and grumbled grumpily without even having to look up.

"You've given her way too much power." 

Veronica huffed only half-amused herself, patting on the blonde's back to lift just in time for them both to turn and meet Cheryl's steady glare. 

Toni, looking already apologetically amused, stood at the redhead's side and leant against her. 

Betty and Veronica reluctantly released from each other for the couple in front of them, but not very far. The taller girl's arm moved casually over the brunette's shoulder, the shorter girl melting happily into her side. 

"Topaz." 

The blonde greeted with mild-mannered nod to her fellow Serpent before flickering playful gaze over to her burning eyed relative and wagging a teasing finger. "You know you shouldn't leave school doors open like that Cheryl, why _any_ harden criminal could just walk right in here."

Veronica and Toni exchanged a humored look— while the burning annoyance only rose to increase on Cheryl's features. 

"Any hardened criminal just did." She deadpanned flatly, tightly crossing arms over her chest in challenge. 

Betty tsked, merely releasing a sigh of her own annoyance as she stood her ground. "Will you ever take a day off?" 

"Not really my brand, Rebel Barbie." The redhead snarked. 

"Is privacy?" The blonde snarked back, gesturing between herself and the girl at her side. 

Cheryl scoffed, cocking her head. 

"Considering the fact that you just walked into _my_ gym, interrupting _my_ girls and commenced practically having sex on the floor with _my_ best friend, pretty sure I should be asking you that." She clipped matter-of-factly. 

Betty rolled her eyes.

"What's the big issue, Cheryl?"

"You're not supposed to be here, Betty, that's the issue." Cheryl retorted, eyes piercing. "If Weatherbee finds you in here, I'll lose my sole clearance to the gym." 

"Well, I'm not supposed to do a lot of things. Deal." The blonde mocked nonchalantly and watched delightfully while her always-sour cousin's frustration grew, before her eyebrows furrowed confused at her last words. "And what the hell is a Weatherbee?" 

Veronica's gaze softened significantly affectionate as she looked up into her love's adorably crinkled expression of confusion.

"Principle." Toni provided in shortly for the blonde, clearly entertained as she snorted.

Betty shrugged, her features becoming even the more confused. 

"So what? It's after school, isn't it?" 

Veronica wrapped her arms across the blonde's middle. "Principle Weatherbee periodically checks in on us, babe." She offered softly.

Betty glanced down at the smiling girl comfortably hanging off her form and her own lips temporarily quirked upward.

Unfortunately, a certain redheaded kin of her's kept her best direct bitchiest glare of attention on her. 

"And some of us would like more than a reputation of belligerent anarchist behavior, gallivanting the night like Robin and his Merrie Men, spray painting cars of the rich." Cheryl persisted, sneering.

Veronica squeezed around her girlfriend, the thought making her feel jittery, and shot her best friend a look. 

They both knew Cheryl would never admit to secretly enjoying and praising the blonde when she showed her the pictures she took of her father's marked car, even envious that she wasn't invited. 

The redhead ignored the look of course, and Betty unwillingly dragged her attention back up to the girl's pinned glare. 

"I won't confirm nor deny any of that." She countered dryly, then pretended to think. "Though, it _is_ rich coming from the spoiled girl who so frequently breaks the rules to get what she wants and once even burned down her own home to prove it." 

Cheryl's eye twitched, sucking in a sharp breath she simply turned on the shorter of the couple. 

"Seriously, Lodge? What do you possibly see in her? I've never known someone my entire life, and yet to see in them _any_ redeeming qualities." She barked incredulous.

Veronica sighed.

Betty frowned at the redhead as if truly disappointed. "Oh Cheryl if only I valued your so little, so _useless_ , opinions." 

Cheryl opened her mouth just about outraged, but Veronica was quick to cut in.

"Okay, enough." She shifted herself out from under her girlfriend's arm with it, much to the blonde's disappointment as the limb fell back at her side, and looked sternly between the bickering cousin's who kept their glares on each other rather than looking at her. 

Toni crossed her own arms and leaned over to the brunette with an unhelpful grimace. "Yeah, good luck with that." The pink-haired remarked with quiet sarcasm, a badgering lifetime-in-the-making written all over her features. 

Veronica ignored the girl for narrowing her eyes and stepping between best friend and girlfriend. "If you two don't have anything nice to say, then-"

"Then try running her down with my car instead?" Cheryl interrupted bluntly. 

Betty scoffed in retort. 

"I will haunt your ass sideways Cheryl, don't even think you'll get rid of me that easy."

As the redhead visibly shuddered at presumably the mere thought of being stuck with the blonde forever, Veronica's annoyance amplified. 

"Then everyone shuts up." She briskly finished, snapping towards the duo. 

Betty and Cheryl's mouths closed, at least, but their silent stare off went on. 

That was until Toni stepped in and kissed soothingly at her girlfriend's cheek. "Come on, babe let's just get back to practice." She urged linking fingers with the slightly taller girl's and turned her to face her, successfully taking the redhead's glare off her cousin. 

Cheryl's expression went soft.

"But TTTT...." 

Her words were quiet, but the whine there was apparent. 

And Veronica turned and faced her girlfriend sternly the moment before the blonde could even let out the slightest of snickers.

_'What?'_

Betty's expression read harmless, lips remaining pressed together and eyes saying completely different. 

Toni had only returned the redhead's softened look. "I know, Ponytails super annoying as all hell, let's just ignore her, okay?" She soothed. 

Betty lips loosened and gaped again before a look from her girlfriend plus a familiar look of her Toni's flashed towards her quieting her, translation: _'shut up, I got this'_. 

As expected, Cheryl seemed to yield with only a mute nod unable to resist her girlfriend— but the redhead didn't look happy about it as she briskly spun on her heel, grabbing and sharply blowing into the whistle around her neck.

The blonde actually watched vaguely impressed as cheerleaders began immediately assembling and scurrying back to the floor, retrieving basketballs to continue their practice. 

Only the expression of pure arrogant self-satisfaction Cheryl glanced back with arrogantly over her shoulder dissolved the impressed look. 

"Now is there a whistle that I can blow to make _you_ obey, a dog whistle perhaps?" The redhead smirked. 

Betty pressed middle finger and thumb to lip before pulling away for show. 

"You can blow this?" She suggested, bird effectively flipped with mocking smile. 

Cheryl's arrogant expression melted instantly to scowl, and Toni shook her head as she pulled the redhead off towards the other girls before the two could start up again.

Veronica shot the pink-haired Serpent a grateful look as she went, not bothering to turn around first as she took her girlfriend's offensive finger and lowered it. When the brunette did turn, the blonde's innocent eyes wide expression was back. 

"Cute." 

She retorted sarcastically, though the upturn of her lips betrayed her real inability to be annoyed as usual. 

Betty reflected the smile, relieved her girlfriend wasn't actually upset. 

The blonde almost pulled the girl back into her, hands caught at the brunette's waist again but Veronica stopped her pressed hand into the Serpent's shoulder as she suddenly took in her love's apparel. 

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed crossly. "Where's my jacket?" 

She nearly hadn't noticed as Betty wore her leather so much— instead the blonde wore jeans and a plain white-tee with sleeves rolled up, her snake tattoo on obvious display.

Betty snorted with a shake of her head, resuming pulling the brunette back into her. " _My_ jacket is at the trailer, wasn't exactly going to blend in with it on."

Veronica placed one arm back around the blonde's neck, while the other teasingly traced the ink up her arm. "Oh, and you didn't think the huge ass snake tattoo was going to give way to focus at all?" She mocked. 

"Well, maybe..." Betty meaningfully eyed the earlier basketball of her girlfriend's landed not too far away from them on the wood floor before returning her gaze and mocking back. "I just thought walking in here your cheerleading friend's focus would be more on your sad basketball skills than on me."

Veronica's eyes darkened playfully at her love's smirk, slowly backing away and strutting over picking up her abandoned ball. 

"Think you could do better?" She raised challenging eyebrows. 

Betty's amused smirk merely widened, holding both hands out. "May I?" 

Veronica happily obliged, pushing the ball into the girl's chest. 

Betty grabbed on and presented a few practice dribbles. 

"Care to wager, a shot for a kiss?" She proposed slyly, strolling pass the brunette a few feet before an empty court and easily ignoring the looks around her. 

Veronica followed right away, contemplating a public kiss— it wasn't as if she counted on any of the girls spreading word around by the looks of things, being either too scared or too nosy of her newly arrived Serpent. 

" _If_ you make the shot." 

She decided, sounding doubtful as she stood at the blonde's side with her arms crossed and gazed up at the tall basketball hoop. 

Her girlfriend hated sports after all. She wasn't about to-

Betty bent at her knees, arms rose and an easy flick of her wrist, the ball in her hands went sailing directly through the net cleanly with a swishing sound. 

Veronica blinked blankly. 

"I believe somebody owes me a kiss." 

The Serpent crooned over smugly tilting her head, eager hands finding its way to her love again and expectantly leaning forward. 

Veronica's surprised smile grew as she allowed the blonde closer to her lips— but breathed hotly on her lips as she was centimeters away. 

"Lucky aim, get the ball and try again hot shot." She teased. 

Betty's eyebrows shot upward, but reluctantly drew away at the look her girlfriend sent her with mocking sigh. She jogged for the ball by the court as instructed, then dutifully returned to the brunette's side and glanced down at her for emphasis. 

The blonde masterfully closed one eye and placed one hand behind her back, raising the ball once again she flicked her wrist. 

And Veronica watched agape as the basketball went flying, hitting the backboard, but going effortlessly into the hoop again no less. 

Betty turned to face her. "How's that for luck?" 

The brunette shook her head astonished, hands pressing onto the sides of the blonde's blushing neck unhesitatingly pressing her lips against her's. 

"Very hot." She murmured affectionately.

Betty chuckled into the kiss, repaying the favor before her girlfriend pulled away all-too quickly. 

Veronica's expression bordered on both impressed and confused. 

"Okay, how come I didn't know you were into basketball?" She pressed. 

Betty winced in immediate regret. 

"I hate basketball." She looked down uncomfortably at her boots, hands meant to fall away from the brunette she held but the girl kept her there. 

Veronica placed her hands over the blonde's on her, questioning at her sudden mood shift. 

"Babe?" She asked with concern. 

Betty gaze slowly returned weak willed to her girlfriend's tone, dreading explanation. She huffed and scuffed at the floor. 

"Sometimes when we were kids, Pea and the rest would force me into competing for food and stuff from the older Southsiders who would put money on us before we could afford it after our jobs as Serpents came along..."

The Serpent's oh-so-sweet childhood memories involuntarily came back to her. 

**[ Flashback ]**

_Betty hated basketball games, the girl decided._

_The thirteen year old tween sat on the outer steps of some random stranger's trailer her friends had started dragging her along to from the day someone had thought to dig up the grounds behind the park and raise a 10ft basketball pole._

_Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni played against the other kids that lived on the Southside, she never joined them no matter how many times they begged— not since middle-aged men and old geezers had taken to tempting them to compete with the promise of money for their sole entertainment. The men were well-off, by Southsider standards anyway, and their obnoxious rowdy shouts of commentary and laughter could widely be heard from where they sat on the dirt sidelines in their plastic chairs to watch the kids play._

_But Betty chose staring off into space, absently drawing random shapes into the dirt with a long stick she'd found in both boredom and to forget her hunger._

_Her stomach growled periodically._

_As part of punishment, her parents had went out to eat without her that evening. She frowned darkly as the black band slid down on her pale wrist— revealing a sizeable purple bruise._

_The other part of her punishment._

_"Betts!"_

_A basketball bounced and landed at the blonde's sneakers, snapping her out of her thoughts and made her glanced up to see her friend coming._

_Sixteen year old Sweet Pea jogged towards her from the makeshift court, his shirtless upper body drenched in sweat but his eyes lit up with excitement of the game rather than his default ferocity._

_"Dude, pass back the-"_

_The tall boy's mouthed pause as he reached her on the steps and a distinctly unexcited gaze slowly flickered downward. To her very visible bruise._

_Betty sighed, reaching over and uncomfortably rolling the band back up over the mark with her sticked hand— not before breathless thirteen year old Toni and fourteen year old Fangs, like her, both stripped down to their thin t-shirts bounded up, flanking their eldest friend's side and saw for themselves._

_Like that the excitement disappeared from all three of their faces, the ferocity back as they glowered down at the blonde's sitting form._

_"Again?"_

_Fangs angrily gestured to her arm, covered as if none of them had already seen it._

_Toni snarled. "What was it this time?"_

_Sweet Pea simply continued to glower._

_Betty's jaw clenched as she dropped her hard stare back to drawing into the dirt, knowing her silence wouldn't actually be taken as an answer in face of the trio._

_"That Whyte Wyrm bar we snuck into last week..." She grumbled shortly._

_It wasn't as if they hadn't all been busted and had their fair share of 'punishment', not that it made any of them less angry._

_Sweet Pea growled._

_"Where is he?" He went furiously moving away, the other two hot on his heels in what would only be the detrimental direction of her own trailer._

_Betty stood quickly from the step, snatching the tall boy's sweat-glazed arm with her free hand before any one of them could turn away._

_"He's not there." The blonde pierced him, then Fangs and Toni, with a firm familiar enough warning stare that the three stood in place. "It already happened. I'm fine, whatever, just let it go."_

_Her friends huffed._

_But they didn't move, much to the girl's ease as she slowly sank back to her place on the steps, wiping Sweet Pea's disgusting sweat off on the knee of her jeans and not only his. Her palms sweat from secretly fearing the whole altercation._

_"And what about the next time?"_

_Fangs glared down at her concerned and knowing, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he snapped._

_Betty remained silent, returning his upward glare with a steely one of her own._

_As if she could answer that._

_The shorter boy's eyes softened instantly, sighing as he and the other two exchanged quiet looks right in front of her annoyed face— then he plopped down on the small right space next to her, arm wrapping over her shoulders._

_"Come play with us." Toni pressed softly, changing the subject as she too waltzed over squeezing herself into the even tinier step space on the blonde's other side and threw another arm over the boy's on her shoulder._

_"Yeah." Sweet Pea nodded along picking up the ball at her feet and spinning it on a single digit suggestively, obviously putting aside his anger for his own attempt to also make her feel better._

_Betty just scoffed at them._

_"And run around like those guys' little play monkeys for flipping two cents?" She glanced at all three in disbelief. "No way, it's degrading."_

_Sweet Pea smirked humorously down at her._

_"Degrading? Aw, that's your first big word kiddo."_

_Said the boy a mere three years older._

_"Learn that from your redhead cousin?" Toni scratched the back of her neck with the arm not around the scowling blonde, her attempt to look suddenly non-interested failing miserably in front the knowing three. "...you know, the Northsider one that comes around here sometimes and looks disgusted by everything?"_

_Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, staring down at the girl incredulous._

_"You know your obsession with that brat is crazy, right Tiny? The only exchange you two have ever had is you drooling and her calling you an 'Edward Cullen-level creep'." He mockingly finger quoted._

_Toni glared, getting defensive. "I'm not obsessed, she's just a babe." She shrugged stubbornly. "Plus, there's more to her than that, it's called straight-girl denial Pea and she totally digs me, you'll see."_

_The tall boy scoffed. "Right."_

_Betty's hard features didn't change, even at her friend's playful bickering she remained in annoyed silence looking between the two— and only one of the three noticed._

_"It's fun." Fangs quickly continued, glaring at the other two as he shook his head and turned to the blonde correcting. "Plus, it'll help you not think about it."_

_It, was obvious._

_And admittedly, he had a point._

_"He's right, blondie." Toni added on her left, also reading her mind exactly._

_Betty's stomach took that time to growl once again and the blonde's cheeks grew a faint red._

_"Ay kids, we ain't got all day!"_

_"Look."_

_Sweet Pea glared behind him at the irritable old men stood alongside the irritable looking opposing Southside team, before glancing back at her with his serious face on and lowering his voice._

_"If we win today me, Toni, and Fangs are going out to eat at Pop's tonight on the Northside, we won't have enough for you if you don't play." He spoke outright._

_Play or starve_

_Betty decided he meant._

_"I hate this." She simply gave the tall boy her peeved defeated stare._

_"Everyone does." Fangs' arm squeezed around her supportively, then smirking slyly. "...well except those without dignity, of course." He directed his gaze._

_Sweet Pea rolled his eyes._

_Toni snorted. "But we have to." She finished for the blonde._

_"Only way to survive around here, Betts. Eat or be eaten."_

_Sweet Pea shrugged patting his younger friend's blonde head of hair, continuing only after he took a swing at the smart-mouthed younger boy's shoulder._

_Fangs grimaced— and Betty slapped the hands off her head at the same time, her thoughts racing at the words._

_Eat or be eaten_

_And she really wanted to eat._

_The blonde's mouth practically watered at a vision of the greasy burgers and fries at Pop's._

_Even if the cheesy line came from Sweet Pea of all people and she was pretty sure her friend had gotten it from an episode of Spongebob Squarepants— a cartoon based on a yellow sponge._

_"Hey Ebony, Ivory, and Ivory! Last chance, hurry your asses or say goodbye to your moolah over here!"_

_Betty's head firmly snapped up at the men howling in the distance and locked eyes with one, her grip tightened on the stick in her hand._

_The man grinned hugely, showing off a solitary two teeth._

_"Come on girly, you too! I got fifty in it for ya'!" He waved bribing bills in the air like temptation, as if she were some stray animal that would do anything for a treat._

_All three of her friends returned their gazes to the men and their competition starting to get impatient, tilting their heads back at the blonde in one silent pressing question._

_Betty huffed standing from Fangs and Toni's squeeze, fiercely throwing off her stick. She swiftly put real use to the band around her wrist, tying her loose hair up into ponytail before plucking basketball from the unsuspecting grip of Sweet Pea._

_Determined look in hardened blue irises, the young blonde promptly passed her puzzled friends wordlessly— not stopping until she was positioned at the line drawn messily along the dirt marking half court, standing front the suddenly quiet curious eyes of men and competition._

_Her palms sweat but the ball remained in them as heavy arms raised steadily to aim at the square of the high hoop a fair distance away— simultaneously the bruise on her arm made visible in her sights at the move brought on a violent rush of emotion._

_Her mind went shifting from her stupid parents abandoning her to the thought of competing for her hunger bordering on painful, cravings in her stomach._

_And so with all of pent up anger, hate, and desperation— the blonde bent at her knees, and she shot._

_Betty was certain it was by sheer luck alone then that she watched the ball swish into the net in one prosperous fell swoop._

_The back of the trailer park rose up with howls, and roars, and loud whistles from those gambling men._

_"Damn firecracker!"_

_"Girly, you're in! You're out, kid!"_

_One automatically demanded some random off the makeshift court from the competition, evening out the teams for the girl to play._

_But Betty barely registered that, nor her friends running up to stall at her back their eyes wide and jaws dropped stunned._

_She was entirely too busy blinking down at her two hands in amazement herself._

_"Dude!"_

_Fangs grinned excitedly, wrapping his arm back around her and Sweet Pea practically jumped at her shoulders._

_"You got skillzzz!"_

_The tall boy bellowed boomingly towering over the blonde whilst Toni laughed bumping at her shoulder._

_"Tonight, we're going to eat like kings!" She hoorayed as if they'd already won._

_Betty couldn't help but to share in her friends excitement and hyping up of her, feeling more than the previous rush of anger, hate, and desperation and grinned celebrating with them._

_That was until the called out kid from the other side bumped passed her, glaring broodingly._

_"Whatever, bitch."_

_Was grinded out none-too quietly between the boy's teeth._

_The blonde caught off guard was grabbed by the three arms already around her before she could hit the ground with a growl._

_She was really tired of being pushed around._

_"Hey!"_

_Toni was first to yell at the boy's back as they spun around._

_"Watch it, man!"_

_Fangs was next, his shout making the boy turn back and face them._

_Sweet Pea needed nothing more than his dark glare, a threat in itself._

_Betty felt her friends, as usual about to go from zero to a hundred, and put her arms out in front of them._

_She never needed anyone fighting her battles and especially wasn't about to start for whoever the hell the kid thought he was messing with her out of everyone._

_The blonde didn't hesitate closing distance between herself and the boy, propelling her hands violently forward into his chest._

_A harsh thud cued the boy's land on his back as he ate dirt in front of the entire trio, gambling men, and his ex-teammates that clearly weren't friends— if their unmoving snickering was anything to go by._

_Not that Betty cared or anything._

_"Say that shit to my face one more time, jagweed." She hissed, all fists clenched and cocked back, daring the boy to as she loomed over his fallen form threateningly and feeling Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni hovering intimidatingly behind her more than ready to move if they were needed._

_They weren't._

_Somehow Betty seemed to already know that the instant she met intense eyes with her red faced offender glaring at her from on his ass and balancing back up on his bony arms— crown-like grey beanie atop his head and thousand layer clothing, despite the ten thousand degree weather, askew— she thought he looked miserable._

_And familiar._

_Betty felt some of her anger involuntarily melt away sure she'd seen him milling around the Southside parts sometime before like a loner, going into that trailer where the leader of the Serpents lived and people rumored the man an alcoholic._

_The thought briefly crossed her mind that the boy might have been exactly like them, in need for money to feed himself or something of the other and had to give that up because of her..._

_Ultimately though, the mysterious boy ended their fiery stare off and said nothing, just fully dragged himself back up to his feet and shot the foursome a withering glare before turning his back on them and storming off through the mass of trailers in the park._

_The blonde couldn't ignore the slight pinch of guilt in her gut she felt watching him disappear from view._

_Then there were more hoots and hollers and whistling for her._

_"Weeeehoo! Now we've got a real competitive game on our hands boys!"_

_The men from the sidelines were clearly even more excited than before at the scene she'd caused and the blonde's gaze fell to the dirt beneath her shoes, unable to feel the same._

_It was obvious on her face from her surrounding friends._

_"Eat or be eaten, Betts."_

_Sweet Pea reminded lightly, basketball he'd retrieved back in his hands and questioningly holding it out to her._

_Betty's brooding gaze flickered upward, from him to the approval nodding Toni and Fangs by his side and to the men in the distance— their cash visible in hand and pleasing to her growling stomach._

_With one last glance in the direction her offender disappeared off to, the blonde nodded too while mentally shaking off the weird feelings._

_That brooding beanied-boy was no different._

_They all had their issues._

_Her friends were right, it was eat or be eaten._

_And she chose to eat._

_The blonde's hands gripped around the ball from her tall counterpart, relinquishing a small smirk as the intimidating four unison turned on their competition, the other kids no longer snickering and looking comically less confident than before._

_Good._

_Her own snicker was echoed by Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs._

_"Let's win a basketball game, guys."_

**[ Flashback End ]**

Betty shook her head.

Jughead did always know how to push the right buttons. 

The trio had eaten a mountain of food that night, and many nights afterward as the blonde refined her skills. 

"Well, I learn new things about you everyday baby." 

Veronica's lips gave way to a small sad smile, thinking of little Betty running across a trailer park basketball court no matter the reason behind it. She felt unusually grateful in the Serpents paying jobs for once as she stroked down her blonde's cheek. 

"And I you." Betty grinned. 

The simple words and comforting caress made the Serpent feel loved, not that her girlfriend thought any less of her or like some poor make-a-wish kid— the blonde playfully furrowed her eyebrows as she continued, leaning forward. 

"But for some weird reason, I really thought you'd be better at sports..." 

Veronica quirked a teasing eyebrow, mirroring back the movements. 

"I suppose you'll just have to show me your moves..." 

The girls lips brushed. 

Sharp hands clapped together, interrupting them. Again. 

"Alright, as much as I'm enjoying this happy hormonal heartfelt reunion..." 

Betty and Veronica drew away with matching unenthusiastic annoyed expressions, lacing their fingers instinctively. 

Cheryl appeared in front them with no Toni at her side, the pink-haired Serpent distracted with the other girls. 

"We have a pep rally to prepare for and cannot afford distractions, especially with _some_ -" The girl very clearly directed her gaze over at her glaring best friend as she finished. "-who need the practice more than others." 

Veronica sighed. "Cheryl-" 

But the redhead didn't give her a chance to start and continued her demanding. 

"I want all non-Vixen members off the floor _now_." She emphasized to her cousin only, who didn't move, then growled with motioning hands. "That means you, so shoo fly."

Betty remained purposefully unmoved and settled with bored stare. 

"Don't make me physically remove you, Betty." Cheryl warned edged with promise. 

Betty snorted in disbelief, looking down at the shorter girl. "Please, you couldn't take me." 

Cheryl very visibly considered. "No?" The redhead rose two equally as red-colored challenging eyebrows, setting a deadly sight on the blonde.

And seriously making Betty silently doubt her previous claim.

With the backed history to prove it, there was far more damage she knew the redheaded girl could do— far worse than any physical fight she'd ever been in.

Veronica squeezed her hand, certainly having the same thought process. 

So, the blonde clenched her teeth together. 

"Come on Cheryl, I want to join." She tried for a mumbled request instead. 

Cheryl eyed her incredulously, gesturing around. " _Join_ us? Here? _You?_ "

Betty frowned glancing around the gym herself. "Yeah I'm good, why not?" She rebutted, taking offense. 

It wasn't as if they both didn't know she could be useful in the sport. 

"Did you not just see her playing? Betty could help." Veronica quickly hopped to her girlfriend's defense, the hand not in the blonde's being placed defiantly onto her hip. "And as the Vixens cheer co-captain, _I_ say she stays." She finalized. 

Betty's smile was smug watching her brunette pull rank as the redhead scowled them both down. 

"Fine." She bit out eventually, even finger pointed across at the blonde. "Do _not_ get in my way." 

Betty gave a stiff salute. "Aye aye captain fuhrer." 

With one last annoyed look, the couple watched Cheryl trudge back the way she came taking up orange basketball and sergeant drilling on the other side of the gym. 

Veronica released a breath and leaned into her love's side. "You know, I think she really wanted you to stay." She teased upward. 

Betty glanced from her cousin and down at the shorter girl, amused rolling her eyes.

"Oh yeah, the current dead-to-me daggers being sent my way are very convincing of that." 

Veronica grinned, while the Serpent happily wrapped around her waist in her distraction. 

"But I don't care about that, I care about you." The blonde leaned down to rest her head against the brunette's, sharing her loving curious stare. "Do _you_ really want me to stay?"

Veronica snorted, as if it were in question. 

"Obviously, always Betty." She stretched, leaving a quick kiss to the taller girl's head before leaving her arms to turn in retrieval for their lost ball. 

Betty's steps suspended after the brunette, biting down on her lip and feeling wanted like no one has ever made her feel. 

"Now please help me?" 

Veronica's lips playfully turned downwards as she spun back towards the blonde, finding a random ball out of the hundreds rolling around on the floor and held to it. 

Betty cleared her throat, ignoring her initial emotional impulse. 

"Alright, let's see what you've got here, Lodge." She shot the brunette a mischievous smile, placing her hands on the amused girl's shoulders and gently spinning her to face the other way.

Positioned directly in front the high basketball court Veronica warmed dramatically as she felt her girlfriend's arms slide securely around her, the blonde raising her arms, encouraging her knees to bend, and lining up the ball in her hands with the square target. 

Only then did the basketball go soaring through the air. 

And the girls watched as it sailed right passed the net. 

The brunette's slight disappoint shown, beginning to sink a little backwards.

"Perfect."

Betty's voice interrupted her self-pity party, rumbling into her back.  
  
Veronica giggled, tilting her head to lazily drop onto the Serpent's shoulder and glimpse upendedly. "I missed, baby. By a lot." She pointed out the obvious.

Betty just chortled lowly, staring down at her girl's beautifully glittering brown irises. "Well actually, I was talking about _you_." She murmured smoothly. 

Veronica blushed, knocking her head against the blonde's as she had done her's earlier. 

"Cornball."

The next thirty minutes proved significantly better than the first. 

Soon enough the other girls had joined and Betty got to help both Veronica improve and the Vixens. Under Toni's actual assistance and Cheryl's tough side-drilling, eventually the cheerleading Serpents with the addition of Betty had gotten every girl at least a single shot into basketball net. 

The girls had celebrated joyously by the end, some still standoff-ish but most going up to the blonde gratefully thanking her for her help. 

Betty was privy to her usual distrustful instinct around Northsiders and how she found her guard a little hard to keep up, especially to the several cheerleaders that swarmed her on a gym floor in praise.

The blonde chuckled at the girls' newfound energy for learning basketball. 

"Well, I don't know if I can come back every practice. I don't think your dictator-" She nodded her head over to the glowering redhead having placed herself in her girlfriend's lap a distance away sat on the bleachers, before coughing making sure her voice was still within earshot. "I mean _captain_ over there would like it."

The cheerleaders giggled.

And Betty smirked as Toni clearly had to lock her arms around her cousin to keep her in place— until the surrounding girls tore her attention away once more. 

Veronica looked on proudly watching her girlfriend interacting friendly with her Northsider peers from the opposite end of the bleachers, the brunette casually toweling off her hair and narrowing her eyes closely. 

Not that she had any reason to be jealous, or that she was so selfish to want Betty all to herself when she was getting along so _well_ with so-called natural enemies— thronging around her...brushing up against her...

Nothing Veronica couldn't handle. 

Except, of course if not for Rebecca Wilder— Riverdale High's current resident non-discriminatory both boy and girl stealing _harlot_ she couldn't even stand on her best of days.

The girl had a seemingly never-ending inability of keeping hands to herself when it came to things that weren't her's. 

And Veronica was not having any of it. 

Swiftly weaving herself through all the other girls, Rebecca had begun stroking a finger down the Serpent's bare forearm where her tattoo etched and fluttered her fake lashes upward at the blonde.

"I think all the girls would be pleased if you came around more often, cutie...me included." She coyly bit down on her lower lip. 

Betty had frozen and gaze uncomfortably snapped down the moment the foreign touch landed on her skin, her fight or flight instincts uncertain to kicking in. 

Though not a threat, the nameless girl was admittedly very obviously attractive.

Dark hair, hazel eyes, olive skin tone. 

Like her girlfriend— but _not_. 

She didn't feel even an ounce of draw towards the cheerleader. 

"Uh...right." 

The blonde's awkward eyes slowly drew up the length of the flirting girl's figure and merely produced a silent nod to her seductive features, then quickly sought out the gym for the girl she loved. 

She didn't have to look far. 

All girls but Rebecca looked on warily, slowly and wisely backing away from the swarm they'd created— making room for the hazard that was the generally nice one out of their two fiery cheer captains. 

Veronica had dropped her towel, eyes zeroed in dangerously on the hand touching her girlfriend when she made it in front the pair. 

Betty swallowed shuffling a great deal closer to the brunette and finding her arm still arrested to nude nails, quietly groaning.

Veronica easily met the blonde's attempt, leant intimately into her side not occupied. 

"Rebecca." The brunette warned steadily as she met the other girl's glower with a leveled deadly serious one of her own. "I would _strongly_ recommend you to remove that hand _right now._ "   
  
It was really less of a recommendation than clear threat. 

And Rebecca visibly gulped, undoubtedly seeing it that way. 

The girl, obviously determined not to show it, rolled her eyes but quickly snatched her hand away from the Serpent before raising both and finally backing off alongside the other nervous looking girl group. 

Betty's irises switched between her love and the cheerleaders warily, placing hands into her jeans pockets. 

"As you were ladies." 

Veronica then snapped in a way that would have given her best friend a good run for her money, dark eyebrows rose for argument. 

There was none as the girls swiftly got away. 

Betty went a bit eyes wide as she took in Rebecca and the cheerleaders scampering away into their own random places around the gym, to a very visibly sniggering Cheryl and Toni still sat amongst the bleachers, and eventually set back to her girlfriend stood beside her. 

Her girlfriend's very intent look that was piercing right through into her soul. 

"Jealous?" The blonde tried for half-hearted amusement. 

Only Veronica was not amused.

The brunette slowly replaced that harlot's nude french tips by her purple tips in the same place on the blonde's arm, turning the tense girl to face her instead. 

"You were partially flirting, and you didn't say anything when she touched you." She stated plainly, while cocking her head questioningly sideways. " _I'm_ your girlfriend, or did you forget?"

Her sharp skeptic tone matched her brewing internal jealousy. 

Betty blinked. 

_How could she ever?_

"I was being polite actually, _unlike_ my girlfriend." She retorted slyly, reveling in the brunette's expression of disbelief she pretended to taste the unfamiliar word on her tongue then frowned. "...that is the right word for it, right?" 

Veronica offered a blank stare to the blonde's attempt at humor. "I'll give _you_ a right word." She shot. 

"...is it polite?" 

"Betty, I swear." The brunette shook her head, retracting her hand from her love and making an attempt to step passed her to get back to the bleachers. 

"Come on V, I was kidding!" 

Betty quickly pulled her hands out of her pockets, still amused she caught the brunette's hands in her own and stopped the upset girl in her tracks to vow lightheartedly. 

"Babe I wasn't flirting, have I not sworn up and down and shown you that I don't want anyone else? That you belong to me and I belong to you? Huh?" 

She chuckled, playing with her girl's hands and trying to lighten her up.

Veronica knew the words were true, but Betty was the one that normally got jealous the most and those was usually her lines. 

"Maybe I just need to hear it again." She mumbled lowly, shrugging in her dare not be needy with anyone else way. 

Betty smiled fondly, leveling her love at her height with an earnest gaze as she complied reiterating. 

"Veronica Cecilia Lodge, you are the only one I want. You are mine, the same as I am yours, and I will only ever be loyal to you, alright?" She adoringly professed. 

And it was to velvety soft lips automatically passionately crashing down on her own. 

Veronica pulled the blonde close, hands bunched into her white shirt and fervently staked her claim at the declaration— so be it a little petty.

Betty eagerly returned her affections, barely able to keep up with the brunette's mouth pressed so amazingly against her for more than a few minutes before drawing away. 

Leaving them both breathless and more than a little turned on. 

"I'll take that as a yes." The Serpent gasped, dark blues blinking vigorously downward. 

Veronica simply smiled, lone finger and thumb caressing the gaping blonde's lips lovingly wiping away at her lipstick. 

It was to her great satisfaction to see Rebecca's daggered look sent across the gym at them, jealousy fading away with ease at the visual. 

"Oh, you can take it anyway you want to baby." She purred quietly. 

Betty's mouth went dry, getting more turned on.

"I..." 

Veronica's lips stretched at the struggling lack of articulation, deciding to cut her love off before either of them could get carried away like they really wanted and dragging the dazed Serpent off the floor to the bleachers with her— and away from temptress vixens.

They sat next to a smirking Cheryl and Toni, clearly having been witness to the whole jealous make out scene. 

Betty hardly recovered in time to distractedly hit her fist into Toni's, the amused pink-haired girl snorting as she glanced to the couple overtop the redhead in her lap. 

"Why even still bother with jealousy when the both of you are so territorial, one might say _too_ territorial?" 

Like she and Cheryl weren't.

Veronica hung both arms off her girlfriend's shoulders as she leant over her seated form to fully face the other Serpents. 

"One can say whatever they want, Betty is mine and sneaking around or not, everyone should know it." She demanded, never mind it being impossible. "No snake tattoo is going to change that." 

Betty pressed a quick kiss atop the brunette's head to pacify her. "That's right, babe." She agreed linking fingers into the girl's own, however smirked slyly at the trio right after. "Sweet Pea likes to call it a chick magnet." 

Toni cackled.

Veronica good-humoredly rolled her eyes, pushing into the devious blonde's side. 

Cheryl scoffed. 

"On him and you, I like to call it more of a _repellent_." She retorted, wrapping arms around the girl underneath her much like the brunette Vixen. 

Veronica shared a look with Toni, thinking the same thing. 

_Here we go_

"Nice, nice one, Cher..." Betty nodded slowly, her commending reluctant.

The redhead shrugged looking quite proud of herself. 

But the blonde continued. 

"You know it's really ironic you said that because _your_ girlfriend, Toni, actually agreed with him." She slickly made known with a proud look of her own, directing her focus on her friend. "Didn't you, Topaz?"

Toni met her smug look with an incredulous glare, no longer cackling. 

_"Snitch."_ She hissed like they were nine again. 

Betty only laughed holding onto her stomach, and the shorter Serpent looked about ready to jump over the bleachers at the blonde— but the redhead in her lap didn't let her. 

Cheryl turned on her girlfriend to face her with similar glaring features, raising a single obviously upset eyebrow downward. 

"Toni?" She pressed.

And instantly, all of Toni's bravado seemed to deflate at that rare hard stare. 

"I-It wasn't really like that, Cher..." She trailed rather sheepishly, ducking her head.

Betty twirled on her girlfriend's giggling, as the cheerleading couple quickly became preoccupied with their own private heated discussion on the other side of the two. 

"Very _polite_ , babe." 

Veronica mocked the blonde's own words sarcastically, to her troublemaker's amusement. 

Betty teased, using their linked fingers to slide up the girl's almost bare thigh and squeeze until the brunette's hand settled on top with a look— stopping the Serpent before she could reach near her heat. 

"Betty." 

The blonde sniggered and yielded, raising her hand. 

"Alright so, I didn't just come here to teach you and a bunch of high school cheerleaders how to shoot a ball into a hoop." She began, going a bit hesitant.

Veronica gave her a pressing stare to continue. 

"Actually, I was hoping you'd come with me on one of those 'super secret missions' we were talking about earlier with our situation with the Ghoulies and their...recent deals."

The brunette's eyes lit up, disheartened with any mention of her dad and the decision she had to make and at the same time curiously eager. 

Betty's eyes instinctively reflected the same look. "Just you and me, what do you say?" She inquired hopefully. 

Veronica barely suppressed her growing smile. "Just you and me?" She repeated, prompting.

Betty in response slid her phone from her jeans and checked the time on the screen, squinting and turning to the brunette as she baited back. 

"I mean if we can leave now, we have about three hours before your dad thinks your practice is over and you have to be home soooo..." 

"So, it'll take me ten minutes to change." 

Veronica finished gladly for her, both with grinning faces as the brunette stood and lowered herself to leave a firm kiss on the blonde's cheek before surging to the locker rooms without a second thought. 

Betty watched blithely, stuffing the phone back into her pocket as her love disappeared into the little door attached off to the gym's side and out of view. 

The blonde shifted her attention to her left and grimaced at the sight of the apparently made up couple sharing loving kisses and soft whispers. 

She opened her mouth to comment, but Cheryl's gaze came across her and the empty spot next to her— instantly lifting from the pink-haired girl's lap with one last peck and strutting off also in the direction of the locker rooms, insistent in following the newly missing piece of their foursome and ignoring the blonde Serpent. 

"Rude!" 

Betty called humorously after the passing redhead, snorting and earning herself a few looks that she paid zero attention to as she turned back to Toni. 

The girl was still glaring at her. 

She winced, scratching at the back of her neck. 

"Still mad about that little thing from before, huh?"

Toni gritted down on her teeth in response. 

"You're dead meat, blondie." 

-

Veronica finished up in five minutes flat, a new record as she moved across the tiled locker room floor in her change of clothes— a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt. 

Amidst slipping into her low cut heels and reaching for the door, it swung open and revealed her best friend's arm leaning against the doorway in her path. 

The brunette glanced up readily and tightened fingers around the strap of the bag over her shoulder. 

"Cheryl." She exhaled to the impending dispute. 

Cheryl rose an eyebrow of disbelief.

"Where do you think you're going, Veronica? Skipping practice for a middle of the afternoon quickie, I don't think so." 

Veronica groaned, expression pleading. 

"Come on Cher, Betty and I barely get to spend enough time together as it is these days." She glanced around hastily, getting defensive as an afterthought. "And we're not going to have sex."

The redhead scoffed.

"Please, the horny hasn't left either of your faces since she stepped in here." 

The brunette crossed her arms over her chest, fighting off a darkening blush. 

"Okay, yes-" She confessed to the other girl's smug look, then quickly continued. " _But_ that's not why, it's about my dad." Her voice quieted sadly to finish. 

Cheryl softened. 

Before either could continue there was a ruckus on the floor causing them to turn, both cocking their heads over the redhead's shoulder. 

Betty and Toni were still sat on the bleachers but merely the two of them just as loud as everyone else, kicking and shoving each other like little children without pulling any real punches. 

Veronica and Cheryl glance at one another and shake their heads while watching their actual gang member girlfriends. 

The brunette found herself lost in the side of her love's face, the blonde coincidentally glancing up in that moment and throwing her a ridiculous wink while she was still being hit over the head with a stray blue and gold pom-pom. 

Her mouth lifted softly.

"Hellooo, Earth to Allie Hamilton." 

A finger and thumb snapped in front of her face. 

Veronica winced, shifting her attention to the girl blocking her way. 

"Sorry." 

Cheryl sighed, heavily dropping her hand to her side. "You've really got it bad for her, don't you?" 

Veronica bit down on her smiling lips. 

"I love her very much, yes."

Cheryl seemed to stare through her in a deep beat of silence, before inhaling her breath. 

"I wasn't being entirely truthful earlier..." 

The redhead sounded annoyed with herself, uncomfortable as she admit. 

"Though I probably don't have to tell _you_ this, my dear cousin does have...certain redeeming qualities about her."

Veronica's eyebrows rose in surprise and amusement. 

"...one of them being how obvious she shows how much she loves you too." 

The brunette's heart warmed, as did her apparent expression which made the redhead groan but go on. 

"She has that sparkle in her eyes when looks at you and it wasn't there before, not even with..." 

_Jughead_

A look of understanding came across both their faces. 

Cheryl mumbled, looking away. 

"What I'm saying is. I'm happy for you, for the both of you." 

Veronica gasped at the too quick and quiet declaration. 

"You're _what?"_

The redhead pinned her with a warning glare for her obvious glee. 

"I _said_ I'm happy for the both of you, and so help me Lodge if you repeat any of this to her I will-" 

Veronica didn't bother with letting the snappy girl finish her front, attacking her in an embrace in which her best friend returned halfhearted with another sigh. 

"Get out of here before I assault your annoying girlfriend." The girl grumbled defeatedly. 

"Make it up to you later, Cher." 

The brunette instantly squeaked, squeezing the snarky redhead within her arms and pulling away to fly off in the direction of Betty and Toni.

"Promise!" She tossed over her shoulder at Cheryl turned and waving dismissively. 

"Yeah, yeah." 

Toni jogged over at the same time, passing the brunette with a tap on the shoulder and placing herself at the redhead's side. 

Together the couple watched with idle arms crossed, Betty stood immediately, right arm held out for Veronica as she slung the girl's own bag over her with her left— stargazing at each other all lovey, close whispering and giggling like infatuated lovers did, the two exited the gym together.

Toni whistled lowly. 

"Skipping? Ponytail really does make the good girls go bad." 

Cheryl scoffed at the claim. 

"Veronica Lodge, a good girl? Trust me, my love, she is quite the opposite."

Toni tilted her head and scanned over her girlfriend with a scrutinizing look, knowing her all too well. 

"So, what's wrong then?" She pressed her redheaded lover, quietly to avoid the other practicing Vixens. 

Cheryl's hardened features relaxed in that way she only did with the pink-haired girl, reluctantly revealing her gentle affliction. 

"It's _Betty_ that's the softest she's ever been. She's vulnerable even if she'd never admit it, and especially with Hiram Lodge and the Black Hood involved, and certain _secrets_..." She emphasized to her girlfriend's knowing stare, shrugging uneasily and uncharacteristically hesitant. "What if the pressure gets too much?" 

The redhead frowned. 

And Toni slowly sullened too as she thought on it, yet held no answer to the rhetorical question. 

The couple simply shared a silent look of worry. 

...

"So, this is fun." 

The usually deserted outskirts of the Southside was unusually filled with a wild group of partying Ghoulies. A fire pit— which was in actuality a pile of burning miscellaneous garbage— planted dangerously in the middle of the loud talking, laughing, drinking and dancing bunch of teens and remiss adults. 

The gang's heavy metal music, played from an old boombox stereo, blasted loud enough for miles along the empty dirt road into town. 

With it Betty's rumbling bike was able to creep up and park roadside without detection, at least up until a few yards away. 

The girls walked the rest of the way, reaching a cluster of the Ghoulie's various vehicles cars, trucks, and motorbikes on the roadside— the cluster still yards off the raver, coupled with the slowly darkening evening hour, made perfect for them to duck behind. 

Veronica's arms wrapped firmly around her blonde's neck from behind as she carefully peeked over her shoulder and the truck at the forefront of them, though secretly delighted to be able to do so for once in the heels she wore for the occasion. 

Betty maintained her impenetrable stare through the camera binoculars she had raided and stolen from either one of Sweet Pea or Fangs' possessions, not even wanting to know why or how they had gotten their hands on the expensive gadget with what they got paid.

"You and I have very different definitions of fun, babe." 

The blonde huffed to her love's optimism even in what was essentially a stakeout, while fond, her own skin had not stopped anxiously itching since they reached Ghoulie territory. 

She lightly slid a finger across a small switch on the device up to her eyes and snapped a few more useless pictures of her gang rivals, spotting nothing crazily out of the ordinary. 

Yet. 

"I don't think so." 

Veronica pursed her lips in doubtful thought, closely pressing herself into her stubborn girlfriend's rigid form to speak lowly into her ear. 

"You helped those girls out today at basketball, that was _fun_ , not to mention generous of you."

She expressed fondly, recalling the swell of pride she felt seeing the Serpent getting along with and actually lending out a hand to her peers— disregarding certain harloting nuisances.

Betty merely hummed indifferently, shrugging. 

But the brunette didn't give up, smiling staring at the sides of all she could see of her bashful blonde's beautiful features behind the binoculars and pecking those spots. 

"My girlfriend, a regular charitable giver." She teased between small drowning kisses until the girl eventually gave in. 

"Alright, alright." 

Betty yielded pretty quickly with a chuckle as she knew she couldn't possibly go on with her girlfriend's lips distracting her.

And Veronica reluctantly stopped in her motions, pleased to feel her love less stiff beneath her arms like she had intended. 

"I was feeling _mildly_ charitable and honestly, all of you desperately needed my charity so." 

The blonde appeased jokingly, though her attention was still cast on the gathering in the distance.

Veronica lightly smacked her shoulder, giggling at the not-so subtle jab.

"Hush."

The sound of a set of new tires crunching the dry land centered into their ears.

Both hushed then, the brunette's eyes squinting while the blonde watched vigilantly through her held magnifying device. 

Next to the Ghoulie's little party pulled right up, a black Mercedes distinctly clear of graffiti, parking abruptly and leaving clouds of heavy dirt in its wake. 

The owner was indisputable. 

Betty steamed as Hiram Lodge smoothly strided out of the driver's side, buttoning up his fancy suit jacket with his cruel villainous features set. 

"Is that...?" 

Veronica's fingers clung irately to her girlfriend's shoulders, though she could barely see the distant figure in the yards stretch the man she was forced to see on a daily basis and called her father for seventeen years was clear. 

Betty stalled to answer at her love's tone, instead choosing to focus all of her attention on the couple of burly looking guys she couldn't put a name to spotting the man the same as them and immediately breaking away from the rest unnoticed. 

The boys met eagerly at a halfway point between car and raver.

Hiram swiftly whipped out a wad of cash, no different in appearance than the stack he'd attempted to bribe the blonde with before, and from there was nothing more than a quick exchange of unintelligible words and money going into the sinfully wide-grinning Ghoulie's palms.

After snapping pictures of every second of the whole thing as potential evidence, Betty sighed and regrettably lowered the binoculars down from her own eyes to wordlessly pass it back into her tensed girlfriend's hands. 

Careful of the thick strap reaching from around the Serpent's neck, Veronica accepted and slowly raised the device up to her face both dreading and knowing exactly what she was sure to see. 

Her jaw immediately clenched at the sight of the meeting anyway. 

"Of course he's still dealing with them." She about growled. 

Money trumped all else in her father's small world after all. 

Loathing to even witness any more, the brunette briskly handed the binoculars back into her visibly worried love's awaiting grasp and cast her gaze anywhere but the front. 

Betty could only half-turn concerned in her girlfriend's grasp around her neck and shoulders.

"V-" 

"Let's call." 

Veronica blurted over the blonde's shoulder, abruptly cutting her off. 

Thoughts of the decision had haunted her for days long enough and she wasn't going to allow her father to get away with his seedy affairs any longer. 

Betty's eyebrows rose in question, turned fully around and placing her back against the truckside, binoculars carelessly falling around her neck, she made the brunette break away from her but not for long as she faced her gently rested hands along the shorter girl's waist. 

"The number we found in the Black Hood file in my dad's desk, I want to find the other half and I want to call." 

Veronica clarified under her girlfriend's intense quizzical stare, tone lilt with finality.

Betty's eyes softened down at the brunette, taking a blurred glance over her shoulder assuring the exchange and raver was still going on with their position going unnoticed, she briefly trusted the large truck to keep them hidden as her love took priority. 

"Veronica..." She gazed uncertainly into the girl's determined gaze, doubtful through the entire fucked up situation and knowing what it was like to go up against a father. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes." 

Veronica's upward expression didn't hesitate. 

The blonde continued anyway.

"We're talking about the possibility of your dad going to jail _again_." She squeezed meaningfully at her girlfriend's waist, somber expression downward. "He's still your dad, V." 

Hearing the girl's parents arguing that night over the phone had brung that truth back to her in full force, Betty remembered countless of household fights of the past— maybe it would be for the best, Hiram wouldn't do anything so stupid like try and hurt his family— but if the Serpent could spare her love a similar fate...

"Betty, my dad is relentless." 

Veronica began countering stubbornly, proving oblivious to the blonde's inner thoughts. 

"If we don't stop him now, he's just going to keep threatening you or have you hurt, and I can't, _won't_ let that happen." The brunette determined moving hands onto the girl's chest at the very thought, very pleased feeling the strong heart beating beneath her palm. "Not to mention, if he's somehow helping the Black Hood killing the people of this town, what other choice do we really have?" She urged.

Betty didn't answer. 

Simply looked down with a tell neither of them liked. 

And that time Veronica was quick in reading into what was going through her girlfriend's head, instantly frowning as she took a small upset step back making the blonde's hands drop from around her. 

"No." 

There was no room for argument in her tightened voice. 

Already remorseful blue eyes quickly flickered back up to her, rushing out. 

"You could break up with me, the gang and I could find the Black Hood alone. You'd be safe and still save relationship with your dad-"

"I said _no_ , Betty." 

Veronica scoffed in disbelief retracing her step back, not even wanting to give it thought and furious that Betty would even do so in the first place— her hand, without realizing, found itself clenched up into her blonde's white shirt collar as she leaned close to stress her standpoint. 

"I am not breaking up with you. My father and I's relationship went beyond saving long ago, but he is not going to take ours." She snapped, fused by her love. "I am in this, _with_ you, okay?"

Betty gulped, simply silently nodding after a beat. 

"Okay, I'm sorry I suggested it babe." She breathed out just like that, large half-apologetic grin playing on her lips to her girlfriend's passionate glare. 

Truthfully, the loyal stance warmed her as much as it completely scared her— but her heart overruled brain function as usual, even if remaining together was probably going to be just as complicated as finding the other half of their discovered number. 

Veronica's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the blonde a moment, then loosening her grip. "You should be." She huffed, going about smoothing out the material of the Serpent's collar she'd rumpled threatening. "And if you do it again, I'll flick you." 

The brunette's grumbling tone somehow read both playful and completely serious at once.

Betty let out her own amused huff, with an expression assuring her love she again turned her back on her to raise binoculars to the distance. 

She loved this girl. 

And she amazingly loved her back. 

Plus the girl was hot when bossy, how could she possibly ever think of letting her go? 

Hiram and the Ghoulies were still speaking, far too close and far off to lip-read but not for the blonde to snap more pictures of.

Veronica exhaled a more calming breath, leaned back into the Serpent and draping over her shoulders, ignoring the scene she chose to take up closely watching the sides of her girlfriend's face once more. 

It lasted a mere few seconds however, before Betty couldn't take the burning feel and pulled off the device again and glanced aside. 

"What?" She pressed curiously. 

Veronica stared deep into brilliant ocean eyes and searched for it— that sparkle her best friend had mentioned earlier. 

"Nothing." 

_Found it_

A small secretive smile graced her face. 

No one looked at her in the way Betty did.

...and it certainly made her feel more than a few things.

Her fingers lithely traced over her oblivious lover's bare arms. 

As Betty shook her head, curious question on her lips at the brunette's slowly darkening gaze, a second sound of crunching tires on dirt drew her attention back to the binoculars. 

The blonde watched Hiram and his black Mercedes drive off and disappear the opposite way of them, presumably back to the Northside while the Ghoulies joined back with the rest of their gang at least a couple times richer by the remaining grins on their faces alone. 

Whatever shady deal they must have made clearly paid off. 

"Your dads leaving." She mumbled subconsciously relaxing, unaware of her distracted recipient. 

"Good." 

Veronica whispered sensually smooth, throwing caution to the wind hell if it was hardly the time, kissing below her girlfriend's ear and suddenly arraying soft lingering pecks down her cheek to neck.

She had a full hour to be home. Spurring thoughts of her love's spray painting for her, her devotion, and the look in her eyes made the girl want to prove how terrible the blonde's idea of ever separating would be. The brunette was desperate to forget everything else and just be with Betty. 

Not to mention the all week build up— obvious between them both, and apparently _very nosy redheads._

Betty's eyes slipped closed releasing a low groan involuntarily, small shiver trembling down her spine. 

"I do believe you are being the terrible distraction this time, Ms. Lodge." She mocked as she slowly came to understand her girlfriend's scheming touches. 

Veronica simpered and blew into her ear.

The blonde's hand clenched around the binoculars, dropping them to hang loosely around her neck and felt herself swaying back into the enchanting sensation. 

They had enough photo evidence anyway. 

Hiram had disappeared and the partying Ghoulies for sure weren't going anywhere anytime soon...

"You know...on the phone...how we were talking about letting off steam earlier...?" Veronica continued to tease the blonde suggestively between little kisses to her neck. 

"Mmm?" 

Betty's glazed eyes heavily slid open over her shoulder right into rich brown, almost pitch black in that moment— not that Veronica viewed the Serpent's blues turned as dark as navy any better.   
  
The brunette smirked back sexily. 

"Come here." She purred sultrily to the taller girl, taking tantalizing steps backward again to give the blonde space to turn.

Betty wasted no time in grabbing for her, and Veronica's fingers effortlessly slipped into and tugged the blonde into her by her belt loops.

Colliding flatly front to front, there was none of the usual sweetness in the kiss between the two girls underneath the faintly darkened sky. 

They kissed fiercely, all lustful lips bruising, tongues prodding, and hungrily exploring every inch of one another's mouths. Energetic hearts pumping up against each other, the couple lost themselves within their passion as they clashed over and over.

Being so close for the first time in weeks felt as if they were on fire scrabbling at clothes and various body parts. 

"Mmm..."

Veronica moaned softly into the Serpent's mouth as her hands crept beneath her t-shirt meeting a hard flat stomach warming under her light touch. Inwardly noting all that running her blonde did paying off, she attempted teasingly scratching up the pathway to her girlfriend's chest purposely slow. 

Betty parted their lips instantly onto the little game, a growl and heated gaze down at her. 

" _Fucking_ tease." The blonde's voice was laced with sex when turning and switching their places, pressing her love up against the truck hiding them in plain sight with arms on either side effectively trapping the shorter girl. 

Veronica shuddered at the hot dominating choice of words as her back hit to cold metal, then at the lips abruptly trailing downward to attack her neck. 

"Oh god, _yes_ Betty." The brunette hissed as semi-quietly as she could manage, tilting her head to expose more of herself while a firm leg slid between her thighs. "I need you." She gasped decidedly, nails vice gripped to the back of the blonde's neck.

There was a heat between her legs that just felt like she'd burst if she ignored it any longer, she ached for it. For the girl she loved in front of her. 

"Yeah?" 

Betty's lips momentarily stopped their assault, having barely panted the word out and drew away to glance up with hooded gaze to meet her brunette's own. 

Veronica could merely whimper her consent with the blonde's leg still rubbing against her like it was— shamelessly rocking herself onto her love she tilted the taller girl's lips back smashing against her's again, eager mouth and tongue twirling some moments until the need to breathe became too much.

Then she brushed nose to the side of the breathless Serpent's cheek, pressing lips right up against her ear and crudely rasping. 

_"Fuck me."_

Betty let out a long groan leaning heavily into the girl, gripping onto the truck became no longer possible as her head felt dizzy at the rare vulgar language left from her love's lips. 

And Veronica had purposely voiced them, fully aware her girlfriend couldn't resist it when she did— a confirmed fact as she felt the blonde's fast hands sliding down the length of her body, giving extra attention into kneading a single palm into her chest. 

The brunette moaned needily, beyond caring for any gang overhearing. 

"I need to feel you." She gave no pause to her grinding as she pierced into her blonde's equally as hungry stare on her every movement and pleaded. "God, I want to feel your fingers inside m-ah, B-Bettyyyy!" 

Her voice grew increasingly higher in pitch as she cried out, arching upwards and throwing head back against cold metal— feeling too much to even register the pain as the leg between her thighs had been abruptly replaced by hand slipping down the inside of her jeans into the lace panties she wore, brushing and cupping her very sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Veronica... _shit_ , you're wet as fuck."

It was Betty's turn to moan with her unbridled desire, sailor swearing naturally becoming every other word as she felt how soaked her girl's heat was, wet warmth coated every inch of her five fingers. 

The blonde too felt she was beyond the point of caring for any curious listeners, she wanted to hear the stunning gyrating brunette in her arms scream her name and wouldn't give a fuck if any Ghoulies heard. 

"A-All always for you." 

Veronica's hips fervently grinded down while the Serpent's fingers rubbed timely against her core. The brunette was well aware she was never not embarrassingly wet every time Betty felt her, her love had ruined plenty of her most expensive pairs of lace panties— and for the love of her, she just couldn't find it in her to care. 

"P-Please..." She choked out wanting the blonde really and completely inside her, wanting relief as her hands drew her as close as possible. 

"Shhh."

Betty shushed gently, summoning every ounce of self-control she held herself not to straightway abide by the brunette's clear wishes and rest forehead against her's. 

Both breathed shallowly as they leant into one another, arm caught between them and simply stared into each other's eyes with pure lust. It all only served to slick the blonde's fingers even more with the brunette's ever growing desire, and served to a broken whine when those fingers were suddenly pulled away. 

"No." 

Veronica squirmed reaching for and lacing her fingers into the Serpent's coated ones, trying to drag it back to her needy entrance. 

Betty easily resisted the feeble attempt, giving the despairing girl a small assuring look and pressed their lips together quickly. "Just relax, babe." She breathed onto the brunette's lips, after taking quickly swept over her shoulder to see no change in the Ghoulies, she dropped to her knees. 

All parts of Veronica but her increasingly trembling legs froze at the sight of her love dropped before her, holding her intense gaze as she slid down her jeans to knees and leisurely spread her legs.

The blonde's tongue ran across her lower lip slyly. 

"Just relax and enjoy." 

Veronica eyes rolled back and closed in anticipation. 

_"Yes."_ The brunette breathed wildly tangling fingers within blonde locks, pulling the girl closer to where she needed her the most until she could feel hot breathing right upon her panties warming her from the cool evening air and gasping as soft kisses were planted right between her thighs. " _God_ Betty, baby you always feel so good, don't stop." 

Betty smirked doing just that at those words, remembering the many many miles she had to run on pure arousal alone after her girlfriend's morning call. 

"On second thought maybe I should stop, maybe tease you like you did to me this morning..." She hummed, lips retracting to only brushing her love's thighs and edge of panties lightly. 

Veronica's eyes flew open in a flash, fingers fisting into the Serpent's hair and forcing her eyes up to meet her own visibly thinning in patience. 

"Betty, it's been almost two weeks, that's almost _three hundred and thirty-six hours_." She grounded out lowly, threateningly closing distance so that she was nose to nose with the girl on her knees. "I swear if you stop now, I'll leave you so high and dry for so long you'll run the Northern Hemisphere." 

It was a threat well received. 

Betty gave a sheepish chuckle, not at all willing to take the chance that her brunette was emptily promising purely on her lust and began to caress her tanned legs apologetically in assurance— before her ears picked up on a nearby noise. 

Both girls tensed, frames froze to their positions while turning their heads feverishly in every direction. Betty readied herself for protecting them, already in action of covering her girlfriend's body with her's, her lower half anyway, when her eyes swept over the real source of their alarm. 

The blonde's tense form sagged to calm catching her still flustered love's attention, wincing she beckoned her head rightward to the dirt land a few feet apart from the two. 

"Remember what I was saying about rats infesting on the Southside a few days ago...I wasn't entirely kidding..." 

Veronica mused her love's words more a sarcastic growl than kid those weeks ago, seeing as it was directed to her father— nonetheless she followed her line of sight and quickly recoiled. 

The brunette jumped nearly pressed front toward her girlfriend, hands gripping into her hair more than they already was. 

"It's _huge_." She warily inspected the small almost elephant sized rat scurrying the side of the road minding its own business, snacking from a littered food can. 

It was better to see than a Ghoulie— but not by much, she chillingly thought. 

"Yeah, its...a real problem on this...side of town..." 

Master Splinter was a thought pushed back to the very far depths of Betty's mind, distracted once more to the captivating and somehow still dripping core that fell right into her eye-line when her lover sprung into her face. 

Her mind drifted ontobthe truck they pushed up against, another gentle kiss pressed to the brunette's thigh for her attention once again. 

She got it instantly.

Veronica's snapped back, biting firmly down on her lip at the touch while the blonde rose a single eyebrow upward.

"Do you still wanna...?" 

Her eyes moved behind the brunette suggestively. 

_The truck bed_

Veronica deliberated uncertainly. 

It was a terrible, dangerous, downright crazy idea. 

Yet she didn't think either of their hunger would last another two weeks, even if there might be a giant mutant rat watching them. 

The brunette gave a shuddering sigh as she looked down at the girl knelt for her and her slow breathing still on her center. 

_"Hell yes."_

Betty grinned madly leapt back on her feet, unconcerned about her dirt-powdered jeans and tightly wrapped her arms around the girl. 

"Jump." 

She whispered, eagerly half to already lifting the brunette up while cupped to her ass. 

Veronica's legs went satisfyingly around the blonde's waist, feeling lengthy fingers digging into her oh-so well.

Though it was a somewhat awkward struggle in her tight jeans, she shared her girlfriend's grin. 

"Out of all the days you choose today to wear jeans, babe." 

Betty poked playfully, staying low as she carried her girl in arms and scaled the side of the truck until she came upon the stupidly open end— mounting and balancing onto the bed with practice, and _so_ _much_ pent up arousal, the blonde simultaneously listened for any sounds other than the screaming music yards away.

Veronica scoffed as she was flattened down to the hard truck surface in one gentle fluid motion, it was fortunately virtually empty, bar a few odd tools she seriously doubted was used for any sort of construction— then again as the brunette clenchingly watched, with her own jeans around her knees, the taut rear end of her love's while she bent over securely closing the tailgate behind them— realization came across that she was clearly in no place to judge anything at all. 

"You always wear jeans, B." She ribbed back albeit distracted, only eagerly pulling the smug-faced girl at last laying herself on top of her further down. Arms around the back of her neck, she hooked one leg over the blonde's hips with her heels pressing lightly into her backside. "And you don't hear me complain- _a-ah!_ " 

_Yesyesyesyesyes..._

Furious pleasure waves shot through the brunette, severing any further retort. 

Fingers found their way down her wet panties again without warning finally dipping into her in joint to a hot mouth on hers, muffling her cries and any kind of thought with them. 

Several moments, maybe hours passed for the couple in the throe of passion. 

Amid Betty whispering nonsensical dirt into Veronica's ears, words that weren't entirely impossible to had even been heard with the blonde buried so euphorically inside her, the brunette was brought crying out over the edge enough times to lose count. 

"F-Fuck, baby..." 

Veronica panted chest heaving in rhythm with the one on top of her as she blinked open her closed eyes, struggling to come down from her strenuous high and clear the black spots from her vision. 

Betty's arm was still around her trembling love— holding her as her spasms came to end and comfortably settled on her bare stomach between the girl's legs, proudly drenched chin just rested on the brunette's own half-bare belly. 

The blonde peered up contently smiling ear to ear as she too panted, normally light features flushed. 

Veronica mirrored the flushed splitting grin and groaned blissfully before she dropped her head back, meeting soft cotton material instead of the truck bed's hard metal surface. 

Between having lost all concept of time and so overheated they were hardly aware of what was going on around them— both girls had become individually half-dressed in mere panties and sports bra— Veronica had somehow lost both her jeans and heels, while Betty's binoculars had gone flying off with her white shirt and bundled behind the brunette's head to prevent her from banging her head. 

Veronica thought it was as sweet as one could get while taking her in the back of a stranger's truck, when she eventually caught her breath her hand languidly tugged on her blonde's arm until she got the hint.

Betty slowly took her time coming up, leaving a delicate line of pecks from her love's bare stomach where her shirt rose to lips— knowingly placating the brunette's whimpers of loss as she finally pulled out of her, drawing away after a few tongue tangoing moments. 

Veronica swiped her finger across the blonde's chin, giggling quietly. 

"You had a little something." She pulled back and showed the hovering girl slyly. 

Betty hummed at the tempting finger keeping a leering gaze on her girlfriend as her tongue slickly left her open lips, wrapping around the arousal-covered digit and sucking the familiar favorite of sweet taste into her mouth before releasing with a small 'pop'. 

Veronica's own lips produced yet another shattered moan without her permission.

Betty had to cover the girl's lips with a finger herself, the Serpent's amused snicker breaking her silence and following her down to the brunette. 

"Shhh babe, we're going to get caught." 

Both could still hear the raver going on— but instead of igniting unsettling in Veronica like it should have, the idea of being caught bizarrely only resulted in igniting the girl into overdrive instead. 

And the unfortunate Betty had the distinctive bite marks into the back of her shoulder to prove it. 

The Ghoulies were a good distance away but not too far a distance that the blonde could completely swallow all her high-ranged expletives of ecstasy, she had no choice other than to clamp down in result. 

"Your fault." 

The brunette accused impishly nipping at the finger pressed to her lips until her love took it away, done with all the dignified attitude of someone who _hadn't_ been the writhing mess underneath said girl she was just a mere seconds before. 

Betty's smile stretched. 

"Mine?" She still mocked, incredulous eyebrows rose. 

Veronica rolled her eyes, they both knew her girlfriend's running and gang dealings did wonders for both her figure and stamina. 

"You're too good at that tongue thing." She sulked, not _un_ happily. 

"Oh well, I have a very great vocal supporter." Betty chuckled, lowering herself further down and Veronica's arms pulled her close. 

The couple looked at each other lovingly, pressing their mouths together into another sweet kiss. 

"Wait." Veronica placed her hand strategically on the blonde's shirtless bra-clad chest, pausing curiously. "Betty...did you? In your jeans?" She giggled, watching her girlfriend's face turn a beet red and grimace at the revelation. 

"You were making all those sounds!" Betty gawked, very nearly shouted, getting overly defensive. "A-And it's been two weeks, _you_ said it!" She accused, only bringing more giggles out from the shaking girl under her. 

Plenty delighted, not to mention flattered her touch hadn't even been needed in stimulation, it was Veronica's turn to cover up her scarlet blonde's mouth with both hands lest the Ghoulies overheard them while shooting the girl a look. 

"Fineee." 

Betty groaned, hiding her red face into the brunette's neck with her growing embarrassment. The blonde began pecking the skin there with each word. 

"It was just that great...amazing...and incredible...you were okay too." She sighed jokingly to finish. 

The brunette looked notably offended as she guided the Serpent back up to face her, her expression making the the taller girl laugh out loud. 

And soon they were both laughing. 

"God, I've missed you." 

Veronica's brown eyes vibrantly lit up, reveling in her lover's sweet laughter and her weight against her. 

"Oh, it's _me_ you've missed huh?" 

Betty's eyebrows wiggled, with that going back to nipping behind the ear of the brunette, freely biting and licking and marking her as her's. 

Or trying to anyway.

Veronica shivered and half-moaned half-laughed as she grudgingly pushed the insatiable blonde back off yet again. 

"No hickeys, my dad will see." She reminded regretfully, happy features falling a bit.

Of course, it didn't count for the several going up the insides of her thighs— not that anyone else but her girlfriend and herself would see them. 

Betty snorted and would not let herself sadden. 

"That's a one-sided agreement." She tossed her head back instead, blonde tresses flying aside in the action for the brunette to see over her bare back. 

Veronica directed her gaze beyond the girl's shoulder and felt her breath hitch.

There were a multitude of plain scratches all down her lover's back. Fresh, red, and painful looking lines into pale flesh where her nails had apparently had no mercy digging just shy of breaking skin. 

The brunette tensed frowning deeply at the sight as she gingerly ran a hand along her girlfriend's arm to hesitantly hover over the scratches, thinking better of it and fumbling back to the blonde's head, tucking golden locks behind her ear and cupping her face in hands regret-filled. 

"God, I'm so sorry Betty, I-" 

"Leave it, it's okay." 

Betty didn't at all let the girl finish, shushing her with the two simple words and raising a hand to comfortingly squeeze at the one at her face. 

If the blonde were being honest, she barely felt the burn of the cuts with the half-naked brunette being so closely within her arms. 

"But-"

Again, the Serpent interrupted her girlfriend. 

"I'm not." She countered through her assuring and clearly un-sorry downward expression.

Veronica squinted a moment as she wavered, the blonde _did_ sound and look sure— but the mess of her back said otherwise. 

So did the small lust still left in her pool-like eyes. 

The frown slowly fell from the brunette's features. Suddenly struck with the way to make it up to her love, she gave no further debate other than to slam her lips back against her's in a heated kiss. 

She bucked her hips up experimentally, savoring in hearing her girlfriend's approving sounds. 

Betty gasped having been taken by surprise— and even more so as Veronica rolled them both over with unexpected agility, the Serpent landing on her scratched-up back rather gently and the brunette straddled on top. 

"It's my turn." 

Veronica shot down the blonde a sexy look, eyebrow rose daringly to challenge.

Betty was no idiot— she gulped as her girl began grinding against her, the brunette's hot core sliding and wetting her bare stomach with formal arousal. 

Then the blonde really couldn't have cared less with the hard metal truck bed at her back being so overwhelming turned on, her hands went grounding into her girlfriend's bared end and moaning. 

The move elicited an echoing moan out of Veronica, managing to falter her a couple seconds but didn't dare stop her from eagerly reaching for the Serpent's zipper of her jeans and starting tugging.

What did stop her was the obvious sound of closely shuffling footfalls.

Any other time Betty would have whined, in any other _place_ she would have— but instead she was brutally snapped back to reality— she wasn't in Serpent territory, and they were _largely_ unprotected on Ghoulie turf. 

They had gotten too comfortable, too at peace in forgetting where they were. 

Instinctively in tense mode, the girl's bodies shot upward and their hands shot to one another. Veronica was half-lowered while in Betty's lap as they both sharply peered over the truckside, the blonde silently reaching for the knife in her back pocket on guard. 

There were too many Ghoulies for the one Serpent to take, especially on her own. 

Luckily the four muscly boys that had strayed from the party alone seemed to be more drunkenly stumbling closer to the truck they hid than walking and distracted in their own intoxicated banter.

The couple hadn't been spotted, but it was only a matter of time. 

They shared a look.

"Oh no." Veronica panicked. 

While Betty hissed. _"Shit."_

The two were in haste quietly scrambling, Veronica speedily threw her girlfriend her shirt to throw back on while she attempted simultaneously sliding back into her panties, jeans, _and_ heels none-too easily. 

Having her shirt on in seconds, Betty's eyes zoned in to a corner of the truck's bed and crawled across the metal with her hands finding the lost camera binoculars to slip back around her neck between colorful curses before she stood and helped her fully dressed girlfriend stand. 

The blonde didn't let go as she discreetly let down the tailgate, seamlessly hopping off the end of the truck and pulled on her love's to help her down. 

Veronica hesitated glancing down at her grime-covered clothing and her heels— there was no way she would be running, and her legs were still shaky from having been thoroughly entered and exited. 

Betty shook her head as she glanced up, realizing the brunette's predicament. 

"V, I _told_ you about those heels." 

Veronica pursed her lips and glared down at the blonde incredulously. "Do you _really_ want to argue about it now, Betty?" 

The boys were starting to notice them then, their aggressive shouts starting to span the vehicle cluster.   
  
Betty could glance over the truck with her exasperated girlfriend still standing atop it, seeing the four Ghoulies fastly covering the short distance between them and sucked in a sharp decisive breath. 

"Nope, let's go!"

The blonde quickly threw herself at the brunette, wrapping around her middle and bringing the girl down. She steadied Veronica on her feet before tightly intertwining their fingers and pulling her along in the darkish of evening.

The girls ran far along the dirt roadside hand and hand, back towards the path of the motorbike that brought them. 

Betty practically carried both their weights, and they were ragged and tired from their truck escapades— still the half-drunk Ghoulies chasing behind them couldn't keep up in their states. 

The couple were as gone as the wind, their would-be assailants impossible to even be seen as they glanced over their shoulders. 

Once they were a good feet away the girls broke into carefree giggles to filter into their running until they reached the motorcycle parked along the end of the road and hopped on, speeding off. 

Veronica glowed as the breeze whipped through her hair, clinging to the back of the equally as glowing Betty. 

Neither of them had ever felt more unbelievably alive, or unbelievably in love. 

For the first time in days without each other, their evening had ended so perfectly imperfect it didn't feel as though anything could possibly ruin. 

...

When Veronica journied back into the Pembrooke later that evening, she made sure it was punctually in time for her 'practice' ending and for her shortened curfew's beginning. 

The brunette had managed to restore her usual glam back to at least semi-presentable— all fly away hairs put back into place, prior askew shirt and jeans dusted, and the strength in her legs back— as in _not_ post-sex with the girl she had been forbidden from seeing or having had the time of her life at all in any stranger's truck. 

It did nothing, of course, to hide the ginormous grin on her face nor the single broken high-heeled shoe she held in her hand as she limped toward the foyer.

 _Heels really aren't for quick escaping_ , Veronica knew she probably should have listened to her girlfriend though she wasn't at all sorry for the turn out. 

She _was_ sorry to find her stoic father's shadow-like hovering form waiting for her in the middle of the foyer with his hands patiently linked in front of him, and he was mid-way to the stairs eradicating all the brunette's hopes of getting up to her bedroom as quickly and unnoticed as possible. 

Her grin fell promptly, along with her mood. 

Hiram plainly glanced down at the one heel she wore and the other in her hand, dark eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back up. 

But the man didn't ask, they both knew she wouldn't tell anyway. 

Veronica simply met her father's suspicious and mere silent intrusive examination of her with a glare before rolling her eyes and sweeping passed him. 

She was all ready to stomp up the staircase and not leave her room for the entirety of the weekend until Monday. 

"Veronica."

Hiram's voice calling behind her was somehow both cold and smooth, and instant in stopping her in her tracks. 

The brunette's one heel paused onto the first stair, fingers clenching to the banister as she glowered into the open air at the top of the steps. 

As she gave no response or effort to turn around, her father cleared his throat.

"I trust you'll let up on this stubborn attitude and actually have dinner with your family tonight." He spoke coolly to her back. 

Her mother had been bringing up to her for the last two weeks. 

_First forcing her to a nauseating breakfast, now dinner too?_

Veronica bristled.

The girl's tongue was tempted to shout and scream every single one of the man's evildoings he thought a secret from her, how she'd see him with the Ghoulies that night and the photo evidence her _still_ girlfriend currently had of it for future incriminating use, how they were putting use to his apparrent files and affiliation with the town serial killer to figure him out and to have one or maybe even the both of them thrown away...

But instead. 

"And why would I do that?" She spat with spite, still not turning around. 

The answer came just as immediate as was unexpected. 

"We have guests." Hiram smugged in short.

For the first time since her arrival the man's voice wasn't so flat. The three words were in a tone that the brunette was well acquainted with, they sounded pleased— entirely _too_ pleased about something. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed, reluctant interest finally peaked. She frowned, whirling back to face him and standing ridiculous with one heel still in hand. 

Before the brunette could even open her mouth to question however, another figure smoothly slid out of the dining room to the foyer and into her view.

His hands were stuffed comfortably into his undoubtedly expensive dress pants as he gleamed up at the girl on the staircase with a familiar handsome smirk and charming nod of greeting. 

"Hey Ronnie, long time no see." 

Veronica felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs in shock and her jaw dropped open.

_"Nick?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer than my normal chapters. Does it drag? Is it just right? Thanks for reading up until this point anyway! 
> 
> Next Chapters Spoliers* : Beronica and the rest of the gang begin their investigating inspired movie night. Getting into a little trouble at a local diner on the outskirts of town, they discover yet another piece to their seemingly never ending Black Hood and Hiram puzzle. More shenanigans ensue and Archie comes up with a dangerous plan. Meanwhile a charming Nick St. Clair has breezed into town and everyone but Veronica starts to grow skeptical of his constant mysterious turn ups, Betty especially (and not just because she was pissed about the flirting). 
> 
> Then there are Ghoulies. 
> 
> A dangerous and terrified Betty might just end up cutting someone's small appendage off after all, after she's saved the love of her life.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We're watching IT."
> 
> "Betty you're awfully quiet, what do you think about our new friend Nick?" 
> 
> "Nick! What are you doing here?"
> 
> "Veronica Lodge turning down a bump?" 
> 
> "That number is our only trace so we should be careful."
> 
> "Betty, is it? You'll have to tell me sometime how you managed tying this one down, I sure couldn't." 
> 
> "Sweet Pea! Get off him!"
> 
> "My girlfriend isn't some object to be won or fought over."
> 
> "He's just her fucking rich friend thats all suave and good looking and I hate his guts..."
> 
> "Oh Ronnie, I missed you too and just you wait, this'll be just like the old days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, (and it might be for the next one, college and all) I appreciate the patience and support. 
> 
> This one might move a little slow, hang in there. 
> 
> The gang are back together, let the fun & drama ensue from this chapter on out!

"...so after that we sat down and had dinner, apparently Nick came up from New York as a potential investor in the SoDale Open House that _he_ is holding in a few weeks. Finding out Nick is a budding music producer, plus his dad is supposedly 'King Midas rich', he now desperately wants to get him to invest. The entire night was like a game of 'Who can exaggerate their most obnoxiously rich tales of the past and give Veronica the annoyed headache to end all annoyed headaches the quickest'." 

Veronica annoyedly rubbed at her temples with the mere memory of the overegotistic contest. 

Saturday night found the girl at Thornhill, next to her very attentively listening best friend in the living room— both were snugly sat on the redhead's couch, legs curled up underneath them as the brunette went over the details of her eventful Friday night.

And that was after her...romantic-in-every-sense-of-the-word _getaway_ with Betty— a small blithe smile tugged at the brunette's lips at that mere memory as well. 

Veronica was officially ungrounded, though it unsurprising as her friend from New York was in town. Her father had very clearly only done so for himself, to appease her mother's nagging and have her time spent with Nick convince him to invest. 

The man inanely must have thought Betty would be no longer in the picture by now. 

But she wasn't going to argue if being ulteriorly ungrounded meant she would be able to see them both, _without_ the constant worry that she was somehow being watched. 

"My condolences." 

Cheryl's head tilted sympathetically and nearly into the cushion next to it, obviously relating fully to the stuffy arrogant house guests her own parent's probably used to force upon her, before raising over a skeptical eyebrow at the brunette.

"So, longtime friend Nick St. Clair not exactly how you remember him?" 

There was an underlying lilt in the redhead's tone Veronica chose to ignore for the time being, the brunette merely sighed at the inquiry instead.

It was in those moments she certainly missed her girlfriend and her ragtag Southside bunch of friends. None cared about riches or status, or what most other's thought of them— Northsiders especially— and those like the people she was raised around. 

"Well, I'll admit his brown-nosing at dinner was a little over the top at first..." 

Veronica confessed reluctantly, albeit feeling another small smile tug at her mouth immediately afterward as she gazed happily around the room and somewhere off into the air passed her best friend's seated form, fingernails absentmindedly digging into the couch cushions underneath her before rectifying. 

" _But_ we actually ended up having a really great time catching up after my parents and his left to talk in our sitting room." 

Her night had ended more surprisingly pleasant than it began. 

She and Nick had stayed in the dining room for hours, talking and laughing like old times. Nick happily caught her up on all the gossip about her ex-circle of school mates from the city, and in turn she updated him on her newly settled countryside life— sans the recent mess that was her father and MIA faceless killers that couldn't be began to explain. When he wasn't blowing his own trumpet Nick's jovial company was admittedly the only thing that kept the brunette from wanting to storm up to her room in a fit of seething rage or tear off her father's head every time he opened his lying, cheating mouth at the dinner table. 

Veronica hadn't realized how much she missed what might have been her only true friend in her time spent at Spence.

Though as the brunette finally returned her thoughtful gaze out of space and back to meet a lighter pair of brown— she found Cheryl giving her a look.

And she knew that look. 

Her small smile dropped. 

"Don't Cheryl." She groaned tiredly, rolling her eyes. 

"Don't what, Veronica?" 

Cheryl pressed back immediately, that look still there. 

The brunette scoffed. 

"You _know_ what, and it wasn't like that. Nick's oh-so-charming behavior was purely for my mom and my dad's benefit." She defended unnecessarily, shaking her head with disbelief. "My dad still has his connections, however shady, and apparently my mom's gluten-free chicken broccoli casserole is a recipe to die for." 

Unfortunately, her mom didn't seem to appreciate the brown-nosing half as much as her father had...oddly enough she had taken an immediate liking to Betty— not that there was ever a comparison in the first place. 

Cheryl only crossed her legs, leaning back against the couch to begin looking over her nails instead. 

"Yes, because first impressions _are_ important with potential suitors..." She breathed out idly. 

Veronica's eyes simply narrowed to a glare.

"Cheryl." 

Cheryl dropped her hands in her act and heaved a heavy sigh, giving in as she took in the brunette's expression.

"Fine, just be careful with him okay?" She warned with a dark look of her own. "He sounds too charming and I don't want to see you end up getting hurt."

Although she didn't like what was insinuated, Veronica's look did instantly melt and 'aww' at her best friend's words. 

Cheryl let out a small scoff at the reaction, though the even smaller smile that pulled at her lips was hard to miss as she continued on. 

"Plus who knows who is capable of what with your dad and the Black Hood around, we already have enough problems without having to worry about injury done between my cousin and your _charming_ new visitor." 

The redhead ended lowering her words significantly for her Nana Rose, despite the fact that Veronica was pretty sure the sweet but tough old woman upstairs could sleep through a cyclone and had since slept through the past hour. 

The brunette looked down and was reminded of why they were really joining at Thornhill in the first place. 

Dozens of papers and phonebooks and photo evidence of her father dealing with Ghoulies pulled from binoculars was spread out amongst the brown french coffee table in their attempt at finding a second half to an unknown number. 

Veronica shook her head, exhaustedly pulling her gaze away to reach over and squeeze at the other girl's shoulder. 

"Well thank you for the advice Cher, but that's not going to happen." She concluded confidently. "Nick is my friend, a good one, and believe me he _and_ Betty knows that." 

Of course the two had yet to meet, but Veronica was sure they'd hit it off— Betty and her mostly calm cool demeanor, and Nick and his easy charisma. 

She waved a hand in the air at the redhead's still unconvinced features. 

"All the Bravado is just him showing off because we haven't seen each other in a while thats all." 

Cheryl merely gave a noncommittal hum. 

Fortunately, before Veronica could open her mouth to retort and the girls certainly escalade into an argument— the sound of multiple growling engines could be heard directly outside Thornhill. 

Motorcycles. 

Which meant Betty.

The brunette's smile grew back in full effect as she spotted them through the home's fixed windows, the gang's bikes pulling up and wheelie-ing up to park in the empty driveway aside her best friend's own red bike and convertible. 

Watching too, Cheryl released a long fatigued groan in preparation as the opposite of her sudden delight. 

Veronica paid no attention to the redhead's customary grumpiness as pretty quickly the girl's living room was crowded into by the rowdy leather jacket wearing bunch. 

Kevin excluded, grinning on his boyfriend's arm as he strided in— the boy never one to be left out of the loop long had all but interrogated to be let in on the drama that had been going on under his nose for the past few weeks, he took about an entire day to be 'shook' at the news, and then promptly included himself in to joining their search— any argument was futile. 

And since Archie had football practice that evening. 

The rest was just Betty, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs, pizza boxes on their arms and instantly making themselves at home. In wake of their happy little reunion with the 'Northside princess', the Serpents had generously offered dinner on them. 

Veronica instantly met with the eyes of her love across the room as she swaggered in and shared a lovey look. 

That moment was of course ruined by a load of pizza boxes dropping heavy and carelessly onto the coffee table right on top of every photo and book, and before the brunette even knew it she was being unexpectedly sandwiched between two male Serpents she had seen the least during her grounding period. 

The boys rough as usual Sweet Pea and Fangs plummeted down on the couch at the same time, closing in on either side of her and throwing two sets of dramatic arms around her entire form. 

Although surprised, Veronica grinned amongst the boys no less and Betty rolled her eyes at being forced to stop short of cocooning her love on the couch herself— petulantly she gave a little frown where she stood in front the scene. 

"Princess!" Fangs cheered, one arm remaining around Veronica while the other sightlessly reached out for the brunette's face with his eyes closed playfully. "It...feels...like...it's been 84 years..." He spoke frail and elderly. 

Doing what must have been his very worst impression of an old Rose from the _Titanic_ film as Veronica giggled.

"Rose wasn't blind, dude." 

Sweet Pea looked at his friend over the girl's head as if he were stupid. 

Fangs eyes snapped open, suddenly overly defensive as he glared back at the taller boy. "Yeah? Then how come she didn't see through Caledon Hockley's bullshit from the beginning huh?" He pressed. 

"Tea." Kevin whistled lowly, looking very proud while he took up the spot next to his boyfriend's left crossing his legs to sit.   
  
Sweet Pea frowned. "She saw through it, she was just trapped in a loveless engagement so she could pinch the guy for all he had." He ridiculously bit back at the couple. 

"Golddiggerrrr." Toni sung in her piece, wrapping her arm over her girlfriend's shoulders as she too sat with the redhead immediately cuddling into her side. 

Cheryl inclined her head to agree within the pink-haired girl's embrace, humming idly. "Hm-mm, Rose was one cold hearted bitch letting Jack die like that." 

Veronica shook her head, looking between the boys still loosely entangling her and around the rest of the group incredulously amused. 

She had very much missed the crazy gang, being together again felt remarkably right— but she could not even fathom the twilight zone-imagery of the Serpents sitting around and watching the _Titanic_ together. 

"Okay, what is actually happening?" The brunette rose an eyebrow mainly over at her girlfriend, not for the first time silently questioning her friends' sanities. 

Betty simply shrugged, unmoving with her hands full of a pair of pizza boxes and frown turned to equally amused expression. 

Sweet Pea chortled. "No, Jack was the cold hearted bitch." He turned to look down at the brunette he held hostage with his friend and nudged her overproudly. "It's a pun, get it? Because he died of hypothermia." 

Veronica placatedly patted the boy's knee. "Hilarious." She reassured, though her wry look said otherwise and quickly shot her standing love 'rescue me' puppy eyes while imploring. _"B?"_

Because she had missed the Serpents and their methods to make her laugh, but she _had_ missed her Serpent just a little more and right then the blonde was entirely too far away from her. 

Betty snorted, promptly dumping her boxes atop the already made stack on the coffee table. 

"Alright, hands off." The blonde spoke as she finally crossed the furniture separating her captive girlfriend and easily pushed aside the half-heartedly protesting boys. 

She just shot them a good glare and Fangs hastily retreated into Kevin's side, Sweet Pea inadvertently into Cheryl's who promptly shoved him back into his own space with a scowl. 

"You're so cute when you're protective." 

Veronica simply smiled upward where she sat, bringing her hovering girlfriend's attention back to her and sliding a hand up the side of the girl's warm neck to coax down and softly peck her lips. 

Betty grinned into the kiss at both the compliment and the gesture. 

"Cute?" Toni was smirking in disbelief from the other end of the couch, undoubtedly at the sight of the brunette so completely smitten by the blonde's manners where the rest were the opposite. "She's like a _Rottweiler_." 

Only Kevin cooed over at the couple. 

"Adorable." 

Paying no attention to either of their friends, the girls slowly broke away. 

Betty mounting up and plopped down on the back end of the couch, shoes and all, and draping herself over her love from behind. The blonde resting her chin on the shorter girl's head with the brunette between her raised knees, purposely teasing the deepened scowl instantly shot her way. 

Veronica giggled but hands came up to land upon her cheeky girlfriend's arms on her, squeezing pointedly, she forced the blonde down around her before Cheryl had an ulcer. 

Betty reluctantly shifted from the back of the couch to the brunette's seat with a sly smirk still in place, her love pulled down to her lap instead. 

It was no surprise Cheryl's long expensive couch managed to fit all seven of them, less snug with the girls basically on top each other. 

"Cutie." Veronica smiled wide twisted in her girlfriend's lap and tweaked her nose on official private greeting. 

Betty matched the brilliant smile. 

"Beauty." She returned upward, fluidly tugging the all-too willing brunette closer by her waist to comfortably settle side against her chest with arms wrapped around her neck. 

"Sweet digs." Sweet Pea remarked as he impressively glanced around while stretching out his long limbs and lazy legs settled across the coffee table in the space left, the boy turned to the girl on his right with eyebrows suddenly furrowed in confusion. "Why don't we spend more time here again, red?" 

Cheryl scoffed, eyeing the boy and his overgrown limbs with unending disbelief. "Because Nana Rose would try to throw herself off the banister again, and quite frankly, so would I." 

Toni gave an astute nod. 

"Mark me down too." She quipped, smartly using her own shorter legs to kick her friend's from the table before her girlfriend maimed him as well as her cousin. 

Sweet Pea threw his arms up in frustration. "Oh so now Tiny gets a say!? She doesn't even live here!" He complained overly loud and in vain. 

Cheryl merely shrugged, with wicked look in her eye. "Obviously." She leaned over then, sharing a quick kiss with an extremely smug looking pink-haired Serpent. 

Betty, Veronica, Fangs, and Kevin relished in amusement whistle Sweet Pea reached forward and began practically ripping open his pizza box bitterly grumbling. 

Pretty quickly giving into their hunger, the rest followed suit to their boxes of deliciously hot and cheesy goodness. 

"You did remember TT and I's vegetarian this time?" Cheryl shot around a sharp critical eye at the deliverers, before going into their box. 

"Should have gotten you two a nice meaty meat lovers." Sweet Pea commented snidely, visibly still comically bitter as he shoved down his own extra cheese extra sauce extra bacon slice. 

Cheryl glowered up at him from her pizza. 

Veronica snorted, balancing hands on her blonde's leather-clad shoulders and glancing over at the vegetarian pizza herself, or what _used_ to look like vegetarian pizza anyway. "Not that it would have mattered, as half the pizza is already on the box." She unnecessarily pointed out and barely hid her amusement. 

"Hey, you just try riding motorcycles while balancing sixteen-inch boxes, you're lucky half the pizza didn't go splat out in the driveway."

Fangs scoffed defensively, chewing and speaking over the regular pepperoni slice he shared with his boyfriend. 

Toni rolled her eyes, making a face while picking at her badly disfigured pizza and handing an equally rearranged slice to her vexed girlfriend. "Yeah, lucky us." She returned at the short boy sarcastically. 

Betty just chuckled and began silently opening her and Veronica's own box sat in the brunette's lap— it revealed quite a flawless plain cheese pizza, unlike the others. 

Veronica's dark eyebrows shot up at her pleased-radiating blonde in surprise as her head swiveled on her. "How'd you-" 

She didn't even get to finish the obvious question on her tongue before an ever-too eager Kevin quickly leaned forward, all over an eating Fangs to the brunette sitting atop her girlfriend, and ignoring the other boy's protests with the hugest delighted smirk on his face. 

" _You_ didn't have anything to worry about, Betty insisted her dearest girlfriend's pizza remained un-tarnished from the ride over." He spilled excitedly, fluttering hands clasped underneath chin and elbows balanced in his annoyed boyfriend's lap. 

Veronica automatically warmed all over at the confession glancing at the pizza in her lap, her favorite and still perfectly in place. 

Something so small. 

She shifted her gaze down to her blonde, eyes gleaming. 

Betty shrugged abashedly though her eyes gleamed up at her too. 

"I'm still dying, it was so cute the way she was guarding over the pizza for you! You're a really impressive rider by the way." 

Kevin's outbursts continued, their moment clearly not gone unnoticed by him as he almost bounced from his seat if not for a less annoyed and more amused Fangs grabbed his lover back to his original seating on the side of him chuckling and still somehow managing with pizza in hand.

"Thanks Kevin, at least _someone_ thinks so." Betty smirked smugly but her steady gaze remained on her love, the person in the room the shot was directed to was no match for her attention more than the gleaming girl on top of her.

Somewhere in the background Cheryl might have scoffed, the blonde didn't care as her girlfriend gently cupped her face in her hands and looked at her all lovey in that way that made the Serpent secretly tingle down to her toes. 

Veronica beamed. "I adore you." 

Betty was delightedly taken back at the amount of sincerity that went behind the three words out of her lover's mouth, not to show it outwardly she grinned jokingly. 

"Well, I do aim to _cheese_." The blonde punned, wriggling the girl in her lap playfully while gripping onto the pizza box balanced on her legs to keep it from falling from. 

Veronica muffled her own giggles by steadfastly pressing her lips down onto the blonde's own. 

A polar reaction of the rest of the group— except the obviously overfawning Kevin— Cheryl rolled her eyes, Toni gagged, and Fangs mock-snorted.

"Ugh, who are youuuu?" Sweet Pea groaned in sync, lightly shoving Betty with his pizza-free hand. 

The couple ignored it all, lip-locked and in bliss. 

Focus only for one another. 

"I hated that." Veronica eventually drew herself away first, giggles restarted and slightly squeezing at her wonderful girlfriend's cheeks between her hands— she couldn't help the urge to leaning back down and pecking her girl's eager mouth again. 

Betty's features remained adorable and annoyingly smug when she pulled back again. 

The brunette rolled her eyes. 

"But you're still kissing meee..." The Serpent playfully singsong.

And was promptly cut off by yet another firm kiss to her lips— one she returned happily without further complaint. 

Only Fangs clearing his throat like the engine of a truck eventually interrupted the two thinking they were in the room alone. 

"Anyone else starting to detect a little special treatment here?" He spoke sarcastically aloud, receiving back hums in agreement from the other four on the couch. 

Betty bit back a whine when her girlfriend was pulled away from her once again, Veronica's braced fingers brushing to her collarbone assuringly as the brunette simultaneously spun to their group of her friends. 

"Well as much I would like to kiss everyone here, a girl gets a certain reputation for that kind of thing." She shot back at each of them, irises flashing as she teased. "Plus, I think my girlfriend would freak." 

"This is true, I would." Betty didn't bother to deny with eyes narrowed to 'warn off' the group, much to her love's amusement and everyone else's scoffs as the blonde snagged off two slices of pizza from the brunette's lap, chivalrously offering one up and keeping the other for herself.

"Would it really _grate_ on your nerves, Betty?" Kevin commented slyly over, apparently deciding to hop on the blonde's bad-pun train just as Veronica took the slice gratefully from her lover and finally removed the greasy box from her lap, snorting. 

There were more groans.

Betty reached over and met the smirking boy's outreached palm with her own, exclaiming a 'Nice one, Keller'. 

"Don't encourage him." Fangs complained at her after swatting between the pair of their arms until they went away above his head, an eyebrow only half-amused rose in his boyfriend's direction. "Really? You too?"

Kevin pouted defensively. "What? The opportunity presented itself, I had to take it."

_"Children."_

The single terse word addressed them all and shot off another round of eye rolls as the group turned on the redhead, palms pressed into either side of her head like staving off an oncoming headache. 

Cheryl glared up at them like they were five and threatened. 

"This my house and I make the rules, that means no more puns for the rest of the evening or I'll throw you to the dogs."

Betty frowned curiously, holding up a finger. 

"Cher, you don't have do-"

"I'll get some." 

Cheryl snapped back instantly, the blonde giving a single impressed tilt of her head and dropping her finger with little else to comment. 

Sweet Pea only smirked through a mouth full of cheese. 

"Sounds _gouda_ to me, boss."

The redhead simply leveled the boy with a more withering stare, he flinched and his tall form somehow impossibly began shrinking under the weight of it.

"...just slipped, haha sorry red." He retracted meekly, harshly swallowing down his food. 

Betty, Veronica, Fangs, and Kevin laughed.

Toni shook her head, lightly throwing white pizza saver at her tall friend. 

"Aw you're such a wuss, Sweets." The pink-haired ribbed then winced as there was an actual pierce into her ribs that followed, she glanced sheepishly down at the girl pressed into her side. "Sorry, babe." 

But Sweet Pea's chest had already puffed back up at the accusation, frown deep as he glanced over. 

" _You're_ the wuss, Topaz! Who was it that couldn't even pop a basic wheelie off that old car in Sam's parking lot a second ago so we could get in the door before he closed?" 

Toni scoffed at him in disbelief, visibly frustrated at being made to look away from her girlfriend and back to the argument. "I'm sorry if I wasn't about to die for _pizza_." She countered unapologetically. 

Cheryl produced a small soft smile, clearly only met for the pink-haired Serpent while hands rubbed and soothed into her delighted lover's side atoningly. "Smart one..."

Sweet Pea shrugged. "Betty did it." He simply countered. 

" _Dumb_ one." Cheryl's small smile dropped back into scowl directed at said girl, maybe even slightly concerned if one looked close enough. 

Betty certainly did not as she tensed and felt her girlfriend slowly tense in her arms also with back turned to her— the Serpent had remained contently silent to simply listening at her friend's arguing in amusement whilst she tore into the pizza in her grasp. 

Or at least she was until Sweet Pea had to open his big fucking mouth. 

Then the blonde froze, jaw clenched as she swallowed down the rest of her remaining slice and regretfully closed her eyes in preparation for the wrath from her love that she knew she had coming her way. 

Unfortunately, her friends noticed— and with eyes closed, she missed the winked exchange between Sweet Pea and Fangs. 

"Oh yeah, Betts here almost flipped over and _ate_ it on the concrete outside of Sam's Pizza Parlor." The latter guffawed on, the boy's slapping each other in their oh-so-hilarious cahoot to get her into trouble.

Toni and Cheryl muffled their own amusement very badly.

Betty's eyes snapped open to glare at them. 

Veronica's heart had dropped opposingly, shifting to meet her steel gaze with the only other non-mocking member in the room for actual confirmation. 

Kevin grimaced back apologetically, but his vigorous nod of what she'd hoped not to hear was apparent. 

And so the brunette violently dropped half her piece of pizza back into the box on the coffee table and sharply rounded off on her incredible shrinking girlfriend looking suddenly sheepish underneath her. 

They met eyes and Veronica nearly growled. 

_"What?"_

Betty started, wincing as she meant to console her love. "V-"

"Betty." 

Veronica demanded again, a swirl of admonish and worry and peeve as her fingers tightened and clenched to where they still attached to the Serpent's collar. 

They'd talked about being careful on the motorbike before after their accident, multiple times in fact.

Betty sighed, reaching up and gently gathering the upset brunette's gripped hands into her own. "But I didn't, babe." She softly looked up into her girl's hard gaze, kissing their joint fingers a few times and tone pleading forgiveness. "I didn't...it was just fun and I'm sorry, I'm fine and I promise I won't do it again." 

Veronica's heart lifted back up a little. 

No, the Serpent wasn't above groveling to attempt to save herself and diminish her girlfriend's stress— despite the clench still in her jaw at their sniggering friends in the background. 

The brunette peered into her love's sincere blue eyes a moment before sucking in a calming breath and tapering down all her feelings of upset. "No more dangerous stunts done on top of abandoned cars?" She meaningfully rose both eyebrows. 

Betty shook her head. "No more, swear." She promised all-too relieved her girlfriend's wrath didn't take much to stifle, the smile was already growing on her face as she suggestively rose up the pinky on her right hand pulling a child-like expression. "Still adore me?" 

And Veronica broke, of course she did, heart lifted completely at her badass blonde trying to be cute for her— and _succeeding_ — the straight line that was the shape of her mouth slowly stretched upward to grin and securely linked her pinky into the taller girl's own, finalizing the childish gesture. 

Then before she knew it Betty pulled the unexpecting brunette over her lap, arms around her back and right into fully in her embrace giggling. 

"Helplessly, baby." 

Veronica teased fondly wrapping around her blonde's neck in return, turning her head slightly to nuzzle into the Serpent's cheek. 

Betty sighed contently as she let the brunette snuggle up to her and held tight. "I'll take it."

"God, dude you've gone beyond lame sap for the princess." Sweet Pea sighed and dramatically wiped away a fake tear to his eye. "RIP." 

"Damn." Fangs tsked mockingly, shaking his head up to the heavens sadly. "Transcended, no coming back from that one."   
  
There was a quirk to Cheryl's lips and pasted full on smirk on Toni's, Kevin's too.

And Betty had just about enough of the peanut gallery. 

Once Veronica sunk in, her love's back into her front comfortably sighing, the blonde pecked the side of the brunette's neck once twice gratefully— before Sweet Pea and Fangs were on the receiving end of her temper once again. 

"Funny." 

The blonde hissed sarcastically at the shying boys, long overdue clenched fists stretched out for each of them on either side of her. 

"You two guys are _so_. _fucking_. _funny_." She emphasized her harsh hits to her flinching friend's arms with every other growled word. 

Sweet Pea and Fangs held their arms jumping away with echoed shouts until Veronica snickered, sparing the undeserving boys and finally catching her love's arms back pressed along her sides a thousand times more gentler than the damage they were doing before. 

"Aw poor baby, did the mean blonde hit you too hard..." 

Kevin purred, arms swaddled around his boyfriend like a baby and rocked him as Fangs burrowed into him pouting. 

Sweet Pea pouted too glancing around and visibly realizing the lonely fourth wheeling position he was in, he shrugged then proceeded to _literally_ hop across the couch. 

Veronica half-squealed as his long limbs flew centimeters passed avoiding her elevated seat on Betty's lap, though her blonde pulled her back further into her in time and glared at him for almost hitting her girlfriend. 

The tall boy appeared unaware to it as he was preoccupied finding his destination on the other side of Kevin, head dropping onto the other boy's shoulder as well like a child. 

Everyone watched amused, shaking their heads when Kevin babied him all the same. 

"Oh it's alright, Sweetie Pea..." He purred again and stroked his fingers through the dark hair of both boys on his shoulder, glancing up at the entertained group after a few moments to grin. 

"I had a dream like this once." He whispered conspiringly, eyebrows bouncing.

Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni all burst into laughs.

Fangs head lifted up to shoot his boyfriend a look, of which Kevin returned an expression of blatant false innocence. 

But Sweet Pea's head had instantly shot up, sputtering then quickly hopping back across his original seat on the couch. 

"Okay, change of subject!" He demanded as he re-sat, noticeable cheeks flushed while looking everywhere but at the group. 

Toni chuckled though she followed, suddenly glancing curiously between her girlfriend and Veronica. 

"So what were we talking about before me, blondie, and _Queer Eye_ over there came in?" The pink-haired girl quipped, collecting a few more laughs and receiving an annoyed scowl from Sweet Pea.

But it was Cheryl who answered first.

"Veronica's old chum Nick St. Clair being in town." She quickly intoned, then a single nonplussed eyebrow rose in counter as she shifted her gaze and met with Veronica's silent glare at the other end of the couch. 

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about Nick but it was the way the redhead spoke, insinuating as if the brunette had anything scandalous to confess. 

Betty's face fell instantaneously at the arrival of new topic. 

_Nick St. Clair_

Her girlfriend had been talking about the guy's surprise visit gleefully since the night before and it made her feel...uneasy, whoever the hell he was. She rarely thought about Veronica's life before Riverdale in New York, before _her_. It was too easy to forget her love ever even had friends that weren't the gang, even if they were the shitty fake kind.

Then there were the boyfriend's, of course...

And boy-friends too apparently. 

Her head subtly dipped a little behind the brunette seated on top of her, frowning. 

"Sounds like a snob." Sweet Pea scoffed, having apparently recovered from his discomfort enough to still judge. 

Veronica rolled her eyes. 

While Fangs nodded too. 

"A first-class snob." He agreed with before glancing apologetically at the newly annoyed brunette to his right. "No offense, princess." 

"Right? _Nick St. Clair?_ Can you get anymore Prince Harry?" Kevin's intrigued tone was anything but apologetic, clearly getting the best of him to also look over at the brunette skeptically. 

He received multiple murmurs in agreement. 

Veronica sighed. 

_"Guys."_ She narrowed her eyes, shutting down the murmurs of her friends with her firm warning expression and decree. "You've never even met him, he's not a snob." 

But the faces around her looked unconvinced. Cheryl's especially.

The redhead curiously cocked her head over her best friend's shoulder at her slouching cousin, her abrupt withdraw unseen to the brunette and everyone else, and so she called it out naturally. 

"Betty you're awfully quiet, what do _you_ think about our new friend Nick?" 

Betty slowly peered up from where she'd found great refuged interest in the floorboards of her cousin's home, internally groaning as her eyes found everyone's gazes on her _including_ her girlfriend's rich brown so bright and hopeful. 

In that moment, the blonde forced back all her unsettled and suspicious notions. 

"I haven't met him but if V says the guy's alright, then I believe her." She shrugged resting chin onto her love's shoulder, dryly scorning the group. "You should stop with the theories."

It didn't help.

If anything the group looked not surprised at all to her vouch, just more and more as doubtful as she herself was— but the girl in her arms smiled brighter— so Betty couldn't actually find it in herself to care even a little bit. 

"See?" 

A very satisfied Veronica spun back to look at the others expectedly, tracing a tender hand up her girlfriend's arm around her to lace their fingers once again and squeeze gratefully for her blonde's ever support as she continued appealing. 

"Guys please. Nick was and is probably the only true friend that I made at Spence who didn't just get close to me because I had money or popularity, so just give him a chance?" 

There was a slight pause.

Then more murmurs— fortunately begrudgingly agreeing in her favor that time. 

Veronica felt her body relax in relief, and then a pair of her favorite lips against the shell of her ear.

"Fuck those snotty private school brats, lucky him." 

Betty murmured, contempt in her tone at any idiot that would even think of passing up her the amazing girl she held and yawned absentmindedly. 

Veronica was warm all over again at the declaration, slighting her head just a little to peer back into her love's unwavering gaze. 

"Thank you, baby." The brunette grinned but it dropped a little to concern as she watched her Serpent let out yet another involuntary yawn and turned her head fully around to face her girlfriend, or as much as she could sitting sideways in the girl's lap anyway. 

"Tired?" She spoke quietly, even though their friends had already began drifting off to their own conversation among themselves and recalled Betty had been going on multiple Serpent jobs again on top of their Black Hood researching, which would explain the fatigue. 

As Betty felt her head desiring to loll back on the soft couch cushioning behind her, she realized she really was. 

Still the blonde's eyes softened at all the worries she saw reflected in her love's own looking down at her and stretching up to peck her lips sleepily, assuringly.

"Never too tired for you." She returned smoothly and smirking, despite in truth wanting nothing more to do but drag herself up the stairs to crash in one of her cousin's many guestrooms, and preferably with her girlfriend wrapped around her. 

Veronica didn't believe her, that much her expression said all of— but her lover would be too stubborn to force upstairs to bed, she shook her head as the adorable blonde sleepily blinked up at her. 

She let it go, instead maneuvering so she allowed Betty to lean most of her tired weight against her back for support. 

The blonde hummed appreciatively face happily snug into the place between her girlfriend's soft neck and shoulder, causing the brunette sat in her lap to smile softly and reach back to stroke her hair. 

Kevin's start of coos, Sweet Pea and Fangs' whipping sounds, plus Toni's loud accusation of 'whipped' between fake coughs made the couple glance up out of their own world and realize that they were being watched by their amused friends again. 

Betty was too relaxed to muster a glare but Veronica did it for her— albeit much less brutal and more playfully annoyed— the blonde still looked on proudly. 

Cheryl smirked. 

"Okay, we _do_ still have a number to find people." She interjected fixedly.

The group complained though begrudgingly began getting back to what they'd been doing for what seemed to be the last day and half. 

Pushing aside the half-empty pizza boxes that lie on the coffee table, they sifted underneath and grabbed for all papers and phonebooks that contained lists of possible numbers Hiram could have made his call to the Black Hood from.

So far nothing had been found to match their half number, other than the fact that it wasn't a personal cell and that it had to belong to some public location. 

But after making useless random calls and getting the fifth diner, everyone had started to get a little frustrated and antsy for a pizza-integrated intermission. 

Fangs flipped open a phonebook on the table between he and Kevin with a sigh. "I still don't understand why we need it anyway, we have photo evidence of Hiram dealing with the Ghoulies so why can't we just turn that in?" He pressed. 

Betty sighed with him while opening up her own book across the lap of her girlfriend. 

"It's not gonna lead us to the Black Hood." She answered dryly for what was the millionth time. 

Kevin scoffed bitingly. 

"Also, my dad and his useless unit are never going to believe just because Hiram made one friendly exchange with two gang members it'll be enough to actually incriminate him." His tone regretted the insertion. 

"Maybe the Ghoulies have something to do with the Black Hood." Sweet Pea theorized, grimly looking down at the paper in his hands which held the long list of numbers the group had already called and crossed off. He rose his eyebrows at them suggestively, a sudden dark expression played on his features. "I bet we can get them to talk for the right price, or the right teeth-pulling." 

Veronica blinked in disbelief at him. _"Teeth-pulling?"_ She frowned at the suggestion, then turned to eye the blonde over her shoulder. 

Betty shook her head and waved a hand assuringly. 

Sweet Pea was overly-exaggerating, the Serpents had never interrogated by pulling teeth....well maybe there was that one time, but her girlfriend didn't have to worry about that. 

"We shouldn't involve them, you know how they are." The blonde disputed quickly before anymore questions were asked or her tall friend decided to elaborate, she shot him a look and gestured to the pictures of the Ghoulies she'd taken spread across the table. "Those two idiots probably don't know and don't care who they do a random job for as long as they get their cut." 

"And if they think we're accusing them..." Toni drawled slowly, sharing a knowing look with the rest of her gang. 

_Trouble_  
  
All the Serpents silently agree, the Ghoulies would start war at the drop of a hat. 

Sweet Pea's nodded with them, though it was especially reluctant.

Cheryl heaved a weighted sigh. "So, daddy Hiram is paying Ghoulies off but we don't know why. He's also working with the Black Hood now somehow, which we _also_ don't know the reason of, and who we have yet to unveil the identity." She droned all their shortcomings into phonebook annoyed. "Fantastic." 

"Well we could start with the why Hiram and the Black Hood, and that number is our only trace so we should be careful." Kevin interceded looking across from the redhead, he was helpful but not any less annoyed. 

"Or else, if we're caught we'll be _swimming with the fishes_." Sweet Pea chuckled wickedly, pinching his fingers together to seal off the offensive Italian stereotype. 

Fangs and Toni let out a few snorts. 

_"Dude."_ Betty firmly cut him off with a 'really?' stare that more-so defended her girlfriend than her villainous father. 

Veronica eyed the tall boy sat next to her to follow up. 

"For the last time Sweet Pea, my dad isn't a mob boss nor is he even Italian." She argued exasperatedly.

Sweet Pea seemed ready to open up his mouth to retort again, but the look on the blonde's face over the brunette shot him down— so the boy closed his mouth and settled with a satisfied smirk to himself instead.

The couple shook their heads.

"But he _is_ a criminally embezzling bigot and possible accomplice to a murderer." 

Cheryl added firmly to get them back on track. 

A somber feel fell over the room again. 

"She's got you there." Fangs spoke first, shooting his sympathetic gaze over to the daughter of the 'criminally embezzling bigot and possible accomplice to a murderer'.

Veronica groaned miserably aloud at the looks she was receiving and instantly felt Betty's gentle hands rubbing soothing circles at her sides. 

"Which is just another reason out of the millions on why we need to find that number, and fast." She insisted, more determined at her love's touch. 

Kevin shrugged, abruptly perking up. 

"Maybe we just need to get into the head space of the murderer, like if we think like one it'll make finding him easier to figure out." He suggested from the blue, high eyebrows raising at the group. 

Everyone gave him blank looks. 

"No thanks." Cheryl disputed flatly. 

Fangs pressed himself concernedly into his boyfriend's shoulder. "I think you've been watching too many true crime shows again, babe." 

Kevin scoffed, clearly offended he even thought such a thing was possible. 

"Keller, the dude's Bundy-unhinged. It just can't be done." Sweet Pea huffed the words over incredulously. "I do regular things like not hurting people with no reason, and most importantly, peeing in the shower like a _normal_ fucking human being!" 

Kevin, Cheryl, and Veronica all grimace at the imagery while Fangs chuckles. 

"Amen brother!" 

Toni shot out her hand, playfully connecting with the grinning tall boy's own. 

Betty snorts between amused and exasperated at her friend's childish behaviors. "He's got a point." 

"Tragically." Cheryl countered, looking pained while taking and putting her girlfriend's raised hand down with a quiet exclamation of 'TT!' to which the shorter girl just shrugged. 

"Okay, so we keep searching." 

Veronica concluded at the group, fingers sliding back over the book in her lap and passing her reluctant girlfriend another to search over her shoulder. 

All she received back were answering groans. 

Eventually complaints turned to concentrated silence, and then turned to more pointless phone calls for the next half-hour to complain about— seriously, how many diners did they have to have in such a small town?

Veronica's fingers were tightened around the device in her hand as the well-meaning but terribly talkative diner owner rattled on in her ear— she smiled tightly at nothing trying to contain the utter fakeness in her voice. 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Harry and I will definitely try the chicken tortellini soup next time I visit." The brunette spoke hastily to part as soon as the man finally let her get a word in edgewise, but then gripped tighter to the phone in her hand. "The reason I wanted to know if anyone's come in to use the phones recently, um..." She stalled, and it shown on her face as she glanced up urgently at the group. 

They all made variously different gestures for her to hang up.

Veronica pulled the phone from her ear and looked down at the icon to end the call hesitantly. 

She didn't get to make any decision however as a hand reached over and easily plucked her phone out of hand, ending the call for her with a huff. 

The entire room breathed. 

"Seriously, princess?" 

The culprit, Fangs, incredulously scoffed sat next to her while dangling her phone back out. 

Veronica took the device back gratefully for the help, but still not without a scoff of her own to counter the boy's own. 

"Thank you Fangs, that won't be awkward next time I visit the man's restaurant." 

Fangs cocked an eyebrow up over the book he'd started to raise back over his face to continue his searching. 

"Did you want to explain to him that we're calling every public place in town because we're a couple of teenagers trying to track down a ruthless serial killer who just might be in communication with your dad?" He returned the sass. " _That's_ awkward."

Veronica had to sigh. 

"Good point." The brunette admitted reluctantly, letting the phone frustratedly flop from her hands and onto the coffee table with a muted thump. 

She was so tired of making calls, but of course not as tired as the girl so peacefully slumbering underneath her as if there weren't a person sitting on her. 

Veronica's expression of frustration melted to soft smile as she glanced down at the blonde who'd quietly nodded off with her head on her shoulder and arms still loosely but protectively wrapped around her middle.

A single digit outstretched with the intent on poking back at her oblivious love's cheek, a hand landed on her shoulder and she looked over. 

"Never poke a sleeping Rottweiler." 

Sweet Pea advised, he laid comfortably back and his legs were stretched out onto the coffee table again, evading Cheryl's intense death glare by using his book as a shoe rest— like Betty, the boy had since given up on the page turning piece of their hunt. 

Veronica snorted, swatting his hand away. "Rottweiler, right." She returned sarcastically, ignoring the shrug and murmur warning it was 'her funeral' to turn back to her main focus. 

_How could someone so cute be compared to anything dangerous anyway?_

The brunette reached her destination and gently poked at the cheek rested onto her shoulder, her blonde began to minimally stir, and so she poked more. Regrettably. 

Betty jolted unexpectedly, head shot up and just narrowly missing an undoubtedly bruising collision with her chin. 

"Wha-! I'm up!" 

The blonde shouted too loudly in her girlfriend's ear as she disorientedly jumped with the girl in her lap, making the brunette cling to her jacket to stop herself from falling off to the floor. 

"Betty!" 

Veronica giggled while she got the Serpent pretending she wasn't passed out to still, the blonde proceeded to hold her neglected phonebook in her hand up to her face. 

And upside down. 

Kevin reached over his boyfriend and humorously flipped it the right way up. 

Cheryl snorted over. "Einstein." 

Betty sleepily glared at her wickedly smirking cousin. 

"I know I am, but what are you?" She countered snarkily, a weak comeback her friend's chuckled at and she groaned, heavily plopping her head back onto her love's shoulder.

The blonde all but threw the useless phonebook back onto the table, arms tightening to her girlfriend's sides in silent apologize for almost dropping her. 

Veronica angled and just pecked the side of her sleeping beauty's head. "It's okay babe, you'll get her next time..." She soothed. 

Betty lifted her head and the couple gazed at each other affectionately, the blonde certainly not-Rottweiler-y or anything at all akin to what it would be like if any of her friends in the room dared ever waking her.   
  
"Did we find it yet?" The blonde rasped, rubbing at her blurry eyes.

Veronica shook her head amused and ran her hands through long rarely loose golden locks. "You mean did _we_ find the number while you were dreaming and just generally slacking off? No, not yet." She mocked. 

Betty smirked a bit. "I was dreaming of you." She returned up sweetly, and to her brunette who grinned down equally as sweet at the words. 

"You better have been." Veronica hummed fondly. 

And just as the Thornhill doorbell sounded. 

Everyone's head turned to the door and it's interrupting chime.

Toni rose a curious eyebrow. 

"Andrews?" She wondered aloud, eyes sought out the equally as confused faces of the room. 

"No, Archie said he'd be busy at practice until eight." Veronica's eyebrows furrowed and whipped to her best friend, it was her house after all. "Cheryl?" 

Cheryl stared back disbelieving. 

"Literally all of those I associate with are here, Veronica." 

Immediately after the words leaving her mouth the redhead's features truly crumbled, distressed fingers running through her hair before gesturing at the group. 

"Dear god, _this_ is what my life has become?"

Toni reached over and rubbed her girlfriend's back comfortingly. "S'alright, Bombshell..."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we'll try not to take offense." She retorted dryly. 

Cheryl scoffed in return. "Please do." 

The doorbell sounded again before the cousins could strike up one of their usual spats. 

Again, the seven tense teen's heads turned cautiously towards the door and no one moved. 

Veronica could already see her girlfriend releasing her and moving into her jacket from the corner of her eye, undoubtedly for the knife she and the rest of the Serpents carried around like a second arm, softly she grabbed the blonde's hand stopping her. 

Betty reluctantly allowed it— but not even Veronica could stop her body from going completely rigid underneath her as a following shout rung out from behind the door. 

_"Hello? Veronica?"_

Veronica frowned in recognition as the voice clicked into place and at that same moment, everyone automatically swiveled on the brunette skeptically. 

"It sounds like its for you..." Kevin slowly pointed out unnecessarily at her and a finger in the direction of the door. 

"It's Nick." 

The brunette announced to the skeptic looks after realizing none of them would have too recognized the boy's voice, she also had a tone of surprise and confusion which more than likely shown on her face. 

_How did Nick even find Cheryl's? Or know Veronica would be there?_

"And _why's_ he here?" 

Betty unknowingly voiced her love's mirrored thoughts aloud, her features a cross between her attempt to look merely innocently curious at the fact and a barely suppressed frown. 

So the blonde's tone was a little hard-pressed and accusing as she looked up at her girlfriend. 

She hadn't meant for it to come out that way.   
It just did. 

Fortunately, the girl didn't seem to notice anyway— and Betty didn't know if that was a good or bad sign that she might have been too distracted by the guy's arrival to do so— because by the sudden multiple exchange of her friend's looks, everyone else clearly had. 

"I don't know." Veronica met her love's swirling irises and offered a simple shrug and squeeze before she simultaneously lifted off from her lap. "I definitely didn't invite him." She swiftly started to the door. 

Nick certainly didn't need to be involved in their town craziness and while she was puzzled, she would be happy to see him nonetheless. 

Betty had let the brunette go reluctantly, cautious and decidedly _not_ jealous instincts telling her body to follow the girl she loved just as her eyes did. 

But then Sweet Pea hit her shoulder, she flickered her gaze away saw him giving her a funny knowing look and glowered before joining the others as they began quickly stashing the phonebooks, papers, and photos in various hidden spots from behind the couch to underneath it until the coffee was cleared of everything but their pizza boxes. 

Cheryl clicked on the TV with the remote and they all sat back, internally relieved with the excuse to give in the towel for the night. 

As Veronica stood on her toes to peer through the peephole in the entryway, satisfied in spotting her friend, she sighed then spun right back around on her heels.

The brunette paused and blinked, vaguely impressed by how quickly the group had adjusted to appear like things were normal— she chalked it down to another gang-affiliated normative while shaking her head. 

Well, things were _almost_ normal.

She thought the words as if on cue as she watched Sweet Pea reach over and plucked the TV remote from Cheryl's hands, the redhead shouting a few choice words at him as Fangs snagged it from the taller boy's hand, which then resulted in Toni nearly lunging across the couch to get to it and more protests. Betty got annoyed at being continuously lunged across and in seconds had Sweet Pea in a headlock the moment he haphazardly struck her side with his elbow trying to get back the remote, the blonde snatched it into her own grasp while staving off Fangs and Toni's grabby hands. 

All as Kevin laughed like a maniac. 

Veronica silently closed her eyes and pinched at the bridge of her nose. "At least try and pretend to be non-threatening, guys don't traumatize him." She voiced, begging irises snapping open at the group who's roughhousing over the mere remote went still at her words and glanced up at her all at once. 

Hair sticking out each and every way possible and head still trapped underneath Betty's arm, Sweet Pea responded first. 

His tone pure, his smirk anything but. 

"I thought we were." 

There were several snorts of disbelief all around, including from Veronica. 

Only Betty shook her head, releasing and lightly shoving Sweet Pea away from her as he poutily matted back down his hair. 

"Of course." She assured dutifully to her girlfriend and threw the remote from her possession to slip back into Cheryl's very pleased hands. 

Veronica's expression lifted gratefully. 

Only for Fangs to then cock his head incredulously at her blonde. 

"Hey, isn't that the same thing you said when you first introduced _us_ to Veronica?" 

Betty recalled the exact memory and knew he actually made a point, grimacing and features twisting apologetically in advance to her brunette stood impatiently by the door.

"I'm sorry." She instantly withdrew. 

And so Veronica's huff was half amused, half exasperated as she wordlessly spun on her heel again and swung open the door to reveal Nick still surprisingly stood there after the long-waited shenanigans. 

"Nick!" 

Her features lit up, as did Nick's as she immediately pulled him into a hug. As she pulled away, her head tilted at the boy playful and puzzled. 

"What are you doing here?" 

Nick grinned and shrugged playfully back, fingers idly playing with the cufflinks on his usual suit as she took a step back from their embrace. 

"Your dad said I might be able to find you here, at your friend's...Sharon, I think?" His eyebrows furrowed unsurely. 

"Cheryl." The brunette's correction of her best friend's name was automatic while teasingly poking at her old friend's shoulder. "But that doesn't tell me why you're here, Nicholas St. Clair." 

Nick's grin grew to smirk. "Well far be it from me to intrude, Veronica Cecilia Lodge." He cast a thumb behind him and took a fake step back out of the doorway. "Maybe I should just go..." 

Veronica scoffed, not being able to suppress a smile at his nolstalgic antics. 

"Oh no you don't. Come in here." She dictated, yanking the smirking boy by the front of his lapels and pulling him passed the threshold. 

Once inside, the brunette closed the door behind them and Nick offered his arm to her still smirking. She rolled her eyes but took it, her fingers wrapping onto his bicep as they strolled fully into the living area. 

Betty, along with Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs and Kevin, all closely analyzed from the couch— not even trying to hide the fact— as their new arrival swaggered in, fancy Hiram-esque shiny suit buttoned up as if everyday wear, the handsome dark-haired boy's head held high and infuriatingly confident like anything in life had already been handed to him on a silver platter. 

And Betty would first give herself up to Ghoulies before she admitted feeling the beginnings of self-consciousness at her own typical ratty jeans, slightly holed t-shirt, and Serpent jacket.

They'd zeroed in on Nick, though he had yet to notice them with all of his attention on the brunette hanging off his arm just as his hand swooped down and took her free one in his. The boy pressed a kiss to the back of the it. 

"In that case I was just around, thought I'd pay a second visit the most phenomenal girl I know in this little town." He complimented smoothly.

Which made Veronica giggle. 

_Her_ girl giggle. 

Betty's rigid state became even more rigid if it were possible, an icy glare pinned to the scene in front of her. 

The rest of the group exchanged yet another look with one another. 

Fangs quietly cleared his throat. "Uh..."

Kevin huffed incredulous, eyes that flickered between the oblivious duo in the archway of the room and the tense Betty were filled to the brim with a sudden new curiosity and interest.

"Caledon Hockley?" His fervent whisper filled in what his boyfriend couldn't finish. 

" _So_ Caledon Hockley." Sweet Pea whispered back, his eyes too flickering back and forth with interest. 

"Shut it." 

Betty hissed at the trio, not bothering to draw her focus away as her girlfriend yanked her hand away and lightly slapped the boy's arm. 

"Nickkkk, stop it you flatter me." Veronica admonished abashedly, even as she grinned upwards.

Nick rose down a cocky eyebrow at her in return. "Don't I always?" 

The brunette snorted and slapped at his arm again. 

Nick only chuckled as he pressed on. "Add that with your father insistence when I arrived at the Pembrooke instead, and voilà, here I a..." 

Veronica was amid pondering how honestly not all that surprised she was with her father's apparent insistence of throwing Nick to her in order to seal his deal— when she realized her friend had frozen in the middle of his words. 

The boy's cocky smirk had promptly went motionless as well as his steps forward into the living room as he spotted the five gang members in leather snake jackets casually lounging around on the couch. 

He actually looked terrified for a split second and Betty guiltlessly thought, _Good. Be afraid._

But then Nick schooled his features pretty quickly and with obvious practice, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. "Sorry...do I have the right house?" He turned to look back down eyes almost comically wide at Veronica.

Who then proceeded to giggle. _Again._

Betty discreetly clenched her fists to her sides and pressed them into the cushions beneath her. 

"No _Nicky_ silly." The brunette snorted amused, left hand gesturing around to all her seated friend's and girlfriend with a newly widened smile and irises sparkling proudly. "This is Cheryl's place and these are my closest friends." She announced. 

Any other time Betty might have relished in her love's unashamed introduction of them, despite her warning of no traumatizing— that was if she hadn't caught Toni from her side-eye bewilderingly re-mouthing the apparent nickname 'Nicky' to her cousin and the redhead in turn shooting the pink-haired girl back a... _look_ that the blonde desperately didn't want to decipher. 

"We were just about to watch a movie, hence the gathering." Veronica continued, thinking up on the spot after taking a quick glance around the room at the turned on television set and pizza boxes strewn on to the coffee table. 

The group clearly went along with it, all but Betty giving disordered nods of confirmation. 

Nick seemed relieved and his cocky smile returned, his gaze barely grazing across the group for it was back to Veronica.

Of course, the brunette missed the boy's gaze subtly trailing up and down her figure before even meeting her eyes again. 

Betty didn't.

And no one else did either.

The blonde practically felt the share of dislike wash over the room in that instance and knew her loyal gang looked torn between preparing to hold her down or helping her hold _Nick_ down while she pummeled him six-feet deep, even without removing her careful gaze off the boy and her girlfriend. 

Unfortunately, her stupid conscience reminded her that Nick was the closest thing her love had to a real friend before she met them and the vital reason why option two would be such a terrible idea. 

But oh did she still have an overwhelming urge to punch the undercover sleaze in the face. 

Meaning the blonde had to make herself scarce.

Betty stood stiffly from her seat. 

"I'll get the popcorn." She announced, maybe growled, but playing into Veronica's movie lie easily and fled the room to the far-off kitchen without waiting for any response. 

Veronica's eyebrows furrowed, lost as she trailed her love leave so abruptly— while the group understood perfectly well, and Nick's own gaze that curiously tracked the embroidered title on the disappearing blonde-haired girl's back when he saw the brunette's did so was more than telling. 

There was a blatant awkward and tensioning silence in the room then, but Veronica only watched where Betty vanished off to entirely too quickly with the drastic longing to go after. Nick, and everyone else in the room for that matter, was immediately exceeded by her concern. 

That was until a light nudge came from her side. 

"The Southside Serpents? Not your usual entourage. You've changed, Lodge." 

Nick's voice teased from beside her, breaking silence she hadn't even noticed and snapping her out of her worrying thoughts. 

Veronica looked back at the boy while mentally chastising herself that she was probably just overthinking her girlfriend's maybe odd behavior, releasing a smirk at the sly comment. 

"And you of all people know fully well it was for the better." The brunette quipped honestly to Nick's rich knowing laughter, the hand still on his bicep gave a friendly squeeze as she glanced over at her friends, who continued watching them oddly close but she ignored it to cordially begin introductions. 

"Nick, this is Cheryl Blossom my best friend." She motioned a grand hand out to the sitting redhead with her legs and arms crossed, staring at the new suited boy with unconcealed mistrust that didn't bother to be hidden. 

Still and all, Nick clearly knew how to please and gave off a charming smile as he leaned down to capture the redhead's hand. 

"Cheryl Blossom, lovely to meet such a girl who can keep up with Ronnie." He pressed a kiss to the seated girl's hand much like he had done her best friend, while his eyes appraised her intently. "And may I say, the last name is _remarkably_ fitting." 

"Charmed." Cheryl clipped back in dry sarcasm. "I wasn't expecting more guests Nick, what a fine surprise." She returned him a plastic smile. 

Perhaps it was a bit of protectiveness over her cousin or her best friend's virtue— but certainly in her disinterests of being flirted with by boys, anyone not Toni. 

The redhead tugged her hand out of the grasp it was in and made clear to slip her hand into the pink-haired Serpent's she continued cuddling up to, the _glaring_ pink-haired Serpent. 

Veronica gave an amused nod over at the obviously agitated girl. 

"The one next to her currently glaring at you is her longtime girlfriend in this home in which they co-habitat more often than not, Toni Topaz." She informed her flirting friend wisely in a dramatic stage whisper next to his ear. 

Nick shifted awkwardly, seeming sheepish as he reached out a hand to Toni too. One to shake, unlike the previous times. 

"Ah, well it's nice to meet you, Toni." 

"Nice to meet you too." 

Toni's smile was thrown off by her narrowed eyed gaze when taking Nick's hand to shake, especially so as she held on a moments too long and leaned close to his stood form. 

"But I wouldn't do that again, alright?" 

The obvious threat in the Serpent's voice had the usually confident boy looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. 

"Uh..."

Sweet Pea and Fangs stifled snickers, Cheryl smirked.

It was only with Veronica shooting Toni an exasperated stare did the pink-haired girl begrudgingly let go of her grip on Nick's hand, hands which he immediately rose to surrender. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to step on any toes." 

Veronica gave her friend an assuring look before deciding quickly moving on, hand off to the other end of the couch. 

"This is Kevin Keller." 

"Keller." Nick repeated and visibly pondered, already appearing much more relaxed clearly as he no longer had to face the other couple, cocking his head at said boy he shook his hand too. "Sheriff's son, right?" He guessed. 

"Guilty." Kevin smirked, his eyes scanning intrigued. " _Very_ interesting to meet you, Nick."

"And Fangs Fogarty." 

"Yo." Fangs greeted not unfriendly, shaking the boy's hand that wasn't tangled in his boyfriend's own. 

As Nick released him, his fingers gestured between the hand holding. 

"You two are...?"

"Boyfriends, yep." Fangs answered the open-ended questioning simply, though his slightly closed expression dared the other boy to ridicule. 

Kevin was not so much as he leaned further into his boyfriend's side and sighed lovingly. 

"Gay as the day is long." The boy sung— to be met with several silent confused stares from everyone else. 

"As the sunrise? Madonna and Gaga's fanbase altogether?" He tried again, features growing utterly distraught at their lack of reference knowledge. 

Nick's own features twisted in his extreme confusion. "What does that mean?" 

Sweet Pea scoffed. 

"It means he's really gay as fuck." The tall boy turned to Kevin and reached over to lightly pat him on the shoulder. "Congrats Keller you know we're all _over the rainbow_ for you, now can we please move on?" He looked to Veronica, then to the new boy, as the boy under his hand beamed from finally being understood. 

Fortunately for his sake, Nick visibly remained indifferent with the guys and shrugged. 

Sweet Pea's squinted dark eyes scrutinized him. "So, where ya' from Nick? Live in the big city, right?" He slowly stood, tall and intimidating to his shorter form. 

Veronica thought to cut in with the way she saw things were going, glancing between the two half-concerned, but her New York friend smoothly beat her to it.

Nick actually smiled charmingly, not looking the least bit concerned as he had to look upward at the boy in front of him to give his answer.

"Well I was born and raised in New York, but I've traveled to so many places that I'm not really sure I'm 'from' anywhere anymore, you see I much rather say that where I 'live' is in the moment." He explained deeply. 

Or tried to.

There were blank stares around the room, mainly from the three Southsiders. 

Nick glanced around at each face. "Your guys' parents don't travel?" 

"Nah, we're just poor." Sweet Pea snipped. 

And that's when Veronica cut in.

 _"Sweet Pea."_ The brunette admonished, useless as the boy gave her a glance completely unbothered, she simply glanced back at Nick. "Nick, this is my _comical_ friend Sweet Pea, real name mysteriously unknown." 

Sweet Pea took his hand without waiting. 

"If I told you I'd have to kill you." His tone only seemed to half-joke, while his eyes trailed down to the expensive looking watch on the other boy's arm as he shook it. "Hey, nice watch man...I might have to take it off you." 

Nick tensed with wary expression as the tall Serpent's eyes trailed back up to meet his, never letting go of his hand, all traces of his previous even half-joking behavior vacant from his serious features. 

Unlike Nick, Veronica could see the rest of the gang's amusement and muffling laughter from the couch. She rolled her eyes, reaching over slapping the Serpent on the arm. None-too-gently. 

Sweet Pea barely flinched and flickered his gaze to her heated stare, giving a cross between a scoff and laugh. 

"Ouch, I'm only kidding princess, damn. You privileged people, so uptight..." The tall boy hummed casually, even as his eyes drifted back down at the arm he held hostage to continue assessing the watch connected. 

"Knock it off, Pea." 

Came a timely drone. 

Betty appeared in from her brisk trek to the kitchen in the attempt to cool herself. The blonde had taken her time maneuvering throughout the huge place and warming the bags of popcorn she said she would, despite knowing her way around like it was her own home— during the occasions her parent's used to let her go hungry, it was Cheryl's kitchen her cousin let her raid whenever her bitch of an aunt wasn't there. 

As she made her way around the couch with hands full of popcorn bags, she purposefully threw one at her taunting friend. 

Sweet Pea caught it of course, which made him finally let go of Nick's arm to do so with a huff at the blonde. 

Betty gave him a warning look, knowing he was only messing on her account. She shook her head as she watched him reluctantly back off and sit back down, still with mocking smirk on his face to make the new boy nervous. 

Veronica eyed up her girlfriend relievedly. 

Nick's tense body relaxed, uneasily smoothing down his wrinkled suit sleeve and also watching the blonde he'd yet to be introduced to with great interest. 

Betty saw neither of the two looks as she avidly avoided glancing over at the pair, she passed out popcorn bags to Cheryl and Toni, Kevin and Fangs, and just finished dropping one onto the coffee table for herself before familiar lithe fingers encircled around her wrist and eagerly pulled onto her as she was seconds from reclaiming her seat on the couch. 

The blonde really did try not to let her reluctance show, she found it was near impossible to be reluctant anyways with the beautiful girl standing next to her grinning brighter than the radiant sun.

But it was obvious, the entire group's silent wait with baited breaths as they glanced between the trio. 

"Last but _certainly_ not least, Betty Cooper." 

Veronica spoke with subconsciously more enthusiasm than when she introduced anyone else in the group as she reached up to teasingly pinch at her love's cheek flushing underneath her touch.

The brunette had unattached from Nick's arm to latch onto Betty's arm in an energetic flurry and ignored her Serpent's playful squinting at her previous gesture as she turned on her friend. 

"Betty's my girlfriend-ie, my one and only and actual love of my life." She glanced up with heart-eyes to briefly meet her favorite matching pair of heart-eyed blue's before laying her head on the blonde's shoulder to lovingly sigh. "Also she's the best." 

An inexplicable amount of warmth washed over Betty as she only stared down at her girlfriend clung to her arm a moment, all shreds of childish bitter feelings diminishing. 

Then she remembered the boy that stood in front of them. 

The blonde glanced back up in time to catch Nick's eyebrows shot up, a flash of surprise and what she could have sworn was a little aggravation followed across the boy's expression— but like they were never there in the first place, the emotions left just as quickly as arriving to be replaced by a catering smile directed at her. 

Betty didn't even try to force what would likely be a half empty smile of her own, yielding the boy a stiff and not _un_ friendly nod in return. 

Nick nodded too, but offered no hand to shake as if he could sense the blonde wasn't going to give him one. 

The boy slipped his hands inside his dress pants pockets instead, his intense gaze studied her a beat as her's did him before he swiftly spun on the brunette attached to her. 

He cleared his throat and his eyebrows rose again, more teasing than before. 

"Girlfriend, huh? You really _have_ changed, far cry from the girl who once dumped a full slush puppie over a guy's head at his football game and in front of our entire student body loudly swore off monogamy ever in this lifetime again." 

Veronica laughed in mortified remembrance. "Nick!" 

Nick just smirked, then his gaze was flickering back to the blonde in front who's look had darkened considerably at the exchange. 

"Betty, is it?" His head tilted at her for a second time, but in a admirable fashion as he commended. "A brave soul gone where many have tried and failed."

Betty's eyes narrowed at the irritatingly cryptic sentence. 

"Where's that?" 

The blonde kept her voice passive for the sake of her girlfriend's presence, even as she felt the familiar start of anger begin to steamroll her bones. 

Nick's smirk widened. 

"Our Veronica's heart, of course." He answered easily enough, but the taunting gleam in his eyes presented itself confirmed it to the Serpent. 

He _knew_ his presence was eating her up. 

_Not ours, mine_

Betty's inner territorial self growled terribly, on the outside only her jaw could clench to his arrogant smolder. 

"You'll have to tell me sometime how you managed tying this one down, _I_ sure couldn't." 

The smirking boy continued mischievously. 

The blonde's features twitched, it was just as well that her girlfriend took that moment to detach herself from her side as the Serpent's entire body clenched itself in preparation to swing. 

Veronica continued giggling as she obliviously leaned off her love's side to playfully push into Nick's. "He's kidding." She glanced back at her girlfriend and shifted her gaze between the two happily. "God, I'm so glad you two are finally getting this chance to meet."

_Fuck_

Betty sagged at the words.

"Right..." She guiltily forced a smile at her girlfriend. 

And that Veronica noticed. 

Full attention turned back on her blonde, smile dimming, the brunette's eyebrows started to furrow in suspicion. 

"Bett-" 

"Sit down Nick, have some popcorn or a slice of pizza." 

Cheryl's sarcastic voice abruptly cut in, just loud enough to stop the next words that were about to come out of her best friend's mouth. 

It successfully made the trio turn to the scowling girl and finally realize they _weren't_ the only three occupants present.

Fang's casually munched out of the bag of popcorn sat in Kevin's lap, simultaneously holding up a half-empty box of pizza from the table and shook it out for emphasis. 

Nick blinked, the taunting gleam quickly washing away with an overly polite wave of hand. "Thanks, but I can't." He shook his head, complying he took up the one seat left out of the two available on the couch. 

Betty's seat. 

The blonde had felt Veronica's stare lingering and burning into the side of her face and decided not to shoot the boy a glare promising pain, but to subtly shoot her redheaded cousin an appreciative look for saving her ass for whatever reason she did instead. 

"Nick has been gluten free since I've known him." 

Veronica informed the group, gaze trailed to them only a moment before they were back on her girlfriend as the blonde grumbled incoherent words under her breath and flopped to the floor to lean against the couch rather than on it. 

With that the brunette surmised her love was grumpy because she was still tired, she lowered herself down to climbing almost on top of the other girl, in the end sat between her legs and comfortably snuggling back into the blonde's chest.

"Mmm...god, you're too comfy..." She muttered onto the girl's shoulder, head tilted back and peering up at her girlfriend from underneath thick lashes while her own eyes threatened to flutter shut at the mere position. 

Betty smiled, a real smile, down at her love softly as she squeezed tightly around the brunette burrowed within her arms. 

Despite the one still available seat next to Nick she could have chosen, and he was undoubtedly hoping she'd take, her girl hadn't hesitated weathering it on the floor to be with her. 

Veronica just preened, delighted getting her grumpy love to genuinely smile once more. 

"You know gluten is one of the slowest forms of poison for your body." 

Nick's factual tone suddenly spoke from above them.

It effectively broke the moment as the brunette glanced up with her attention back on the boy. 

"More for us then." 

Betty practically spoke the words between her clenched teeth, gaze kept forward to the TV in the room as she was sure her eyes clearly read what her mouth dared not: 

_'Fuck you and fuck your fucking PSA'_

While Veronica inwardly excited at the pairs starting conversation, even if it wasn't much a conversation at all— the sour blonde reached for their popcorn plopped onto her girlfriend's lap, though still eating pizza was Kevin, Toni, and Sweet Pea, who reached for what was probably his sixth slice of the night. 

"Best poison I've ever tasted." Kevin groaned in agreement as he ate. 

"Here, here." Toni toasted him by air with her own slice, before shoving it down. 

Sweet Pea chuckled through a mouth full of pizza as he leaned unnecessarily close into Nick's space, elbowing him and obviously making himself as 'quietly' loud as possible. 

"Dude don't be embarrassed if you want to grab a slice, just say the word if you need to drop a deuce in one of red's fancy bathrooms and I promise we'll turn the volume up reallll high for you." 

The taller boy teased 'helpfully', seeming unaware of the saliva-soaked pizza particles he was spraying onto the other's expensive suit with his every word. 

Veronica quietly groaned while everyone else bit back their amusement. 

"Uh...thank you." Nick slowly returned, just barely covering the disgust from his face with a grimace as he wiped his hands down his suit and subtly shifted a little ways down the couch. 

Betty snorted from the floor, the most satisfied as she watched the 'I'm privileged, white, and won't stand for this' routine bitchfit being held back.

Sweet Pea shot her down a wink and she rolled her eyes, drifting downward to where she made sure her annoyed girlfriend wasn't looking. 

Because annoying as he was...

Her fist traveled up, unseen by anyone else, and tagged her oldest friend's own hidden between two cushions. 

...Betty had to admit she loved the guy sometimes.

Not that she wouldn't take that confession to her grave, otherwise the asshole would never let her live it down until then. 

"I believe he said gluten-free buffoon, not lactose." Cheryl shook her head, though looking a little amused herself while leaving the couch for the home DVD player on the other side of the room. "We're watching _IT_." She announced, decisively choosing the only dark clown movie she owned for all of them.

It wasn't as if their fake movie plans had been decided beforehand anyways, so the group was visibly completely fine with the pick— well, all but one. 

Fangs had paled, despite being in an actual street gang, he had a weak tolerance for clowns and an even weaker stomach. 

"Don't look so scared, Fangy." 

Toni smirked over at the boy teasingly.

Fangs scoffed and glared back. 

"I'm not scared, Toni." He lied, unconvincingly so as his voice broke in the middle. 

Toni and Sweet Pea guffawed.

Even Veronica bit on her lip to bay the giggles back. 

Kevin rubbed at his scowling boyfriend's arm comfortingly. 

"Dude, you're _totally_ scared!" Sweet Pea laughed, holding his stomach. 

Fangs growled.

"Shut up Pea, you too Topaz!" The short boy threw popcorn at the laughing duo, and consequently a constraining Nick sat between them, but no one noticed that in their amusement. "Kevin..." He stopped throwing and cuddled into his boyfriend's side sulking once his friend's laughter didn't end.

"Oh, baby." Kevin was plainly amused with them, but wisely hid it and pulled the Serpent into him as close as close could be as he murmured to him. "You know there's no such thing as clowns who live under sewers."

"Ha." Betty mused her mood starting to take a turn around, she laughed to herself. "Yeah Fangs, you know the only clown that exists in this town is Sweets." She hit back at the tall boy's knee. 

Everyone laughed.

Sweet Pea mocked. 

"Ha-ha." He shook her off his knee and quickly reached down, shoveling a good amount of the blonde and her girlfriend's popcorn into his mouth along with the pizza already there for good measure. 

"Mature." 

Veronica retorted up to him sarcastically. 

"I know." Sweet Pea countered at her, more 'mm oo" as his cheeks puffed out like chipmunks.

The brunette shifted a pleading gaze to the girl's shoulder she rested. 

"Is it too late to say I hate your friends, and now that I'm your girlfriend I'm demanding you find new ones?" 

Betty chuckled. 

"Oh no. Too little, too late babe." She teasingly whispered onto her love's ear and ducked to soothingly peck the space there. "What's mine is yours now and you have to suffer with them just like me." 

While she thought her girlfriend was certainly worth the suffering, Veronica still quietly whined. 

And that, in turn, did certain things to Betty. 

Certain things that swiftly died down in the next moment. 

As her redheaded cousin bent over the TV to put in the movie DVD, she of course caught Toni's stare glued to the view and the pink-haired girl's open gaze finally flickered over to meet her's after a few lingering moments.   
  
_'What?'_ Her irritated dark brown eyes read, clearly upset for being interrupted in her perving. 

_'She's still my cousin, it's weird'_ The blonde's look shot back. 

Toni let out an audible huff but gave in to her stare down and leapt up from the couch, presumably to hit the lights in the direction she was heading. 

Betty shook her head, and immediately wished she hadn't— still stiffly perched on the couch she was sighted with the reminder of her night's bitterness once more.

And his eyes were subtly appraising her cousin's backside too. 

Betty bit her tongue with great willpower and pulled her girlfriend in closer to her. 

Veronica thought nothing of it, and certainly didn't complain as she aligned to curling her fingers tightly into the front of the Serpent's shirt. The other hand went around her blonde's neck, a single popcorn piece twirled between her fingertips when the room lights went out and everyone else settled on the couch shadowed in the dark, she held the warm kernel to her lover's delicious pink lips to feed. 

Betty allowed herself to relax with the brunette's gaze on her, taking the kernel from the girl's fingers and into her mouth more than obediently.

The lovebirds' eyes sparkle wordlessly into one another's. 

Well wordless until Veronica's fingers began to discreetly drag downward and beneath the blonde's thin t-shirt, doing a teasing dance along her love's bare skin and feeling those well-defined stomach muscles clench at her touch.

With the brunette pressed securely back against her body, Betty reeled pleasantly— _too_ pleasantly as her hips gave an involuntarily jerk upwards and rocked the girl basically in her lap. 

Veronica quickly turned away to divert any of their friend's attention towards her girlfriend and herself, though facing the preview playing screen, she hid giggles through a shiver. Hearing her blonde's low groan behind her ear, the brunette was fairly certain her easily riled up lover would have very noticeable growing arousal if she were of the opposite sex and couldn't help but feel delightfully smug at the fact. 

Only as short but fiery nails began to lightly scratch their way down the blonde's stomach, it brung searing reminder to the night before's escapades in response.

Reluctantly Betty's one hand clenched at the brunette's side and the other slipped under her shirt to gently but firmly grasp the hand there, stopping its motions and squeezed. 

"Babe." She murmured warningly, brushing across the soft shell of her girlfriend's ear. 

Warm tingles shot down Veronica's spine while she maintained a hundred percent vision on the TV that had zero percent of her attention at all. "Hmm?" She hummed an air of obvious amusement and false innocence. 

And Betty scoffed quietly to convey her being less than convinced at the act before reminding. 

"I really love you, I do, but you _have_ seen my back right?"

Veronica glanced away then, back to slightly grimacing blue pools. 

The air of amusement faded to concern as she winced apologetically. The brunette's hand already inside the blonde's shirt lifted marginally upward for her eyes only to travel around the girl's side and torso, both clear of marks— other than the old ones emerged from fights anyway— the little of what she could see of her love's back on the other hand...

The angry red scratches she made were even more prominent against Betty's pale skin type, they barely looked any better from the night before no matter the amount of ice Veronica had put on it to heal. 

Veronica felt guilty, but the Serpent would only kiss her and murmur 'assuringly' that she'd had much worse in the past— the words to which the brunette would murmur back how the hell that line was ever supposed to make her feel better— and then the blonde would shut her up with another kiss, ending all train of thought for the time being. 

Someone let out a sharp hissing breath. Not her or Betty. 

"Wow those look like some pretty nasty scratches, Betty." 

It was Nick's voice that rang out, causing the brunette to suddenly blink up at him, somehow almost having forgotten his presence though she knew she shouldn't have been so surprised with the girl holding her. 

Betty had slowly taken her time glancing up at the boy sat on the couch, eyes narrowed at the fake expression of concern for her written over his face. 

"Recent gang dispute?" He followed up, eyebrows furrowed. 

Concern might have been his visible front, but Betty knew while looking into dark beady looking eyes that the slick suspicion was very real. 

If she were any less of the accurate sap all her friends correctly made her out to be with respect for her girlfriend, she would have detailed to the smug bastard _exactly_ how the scratches originated.

A few barely attempted concealed chuckles sounded in the room. 

Then again, if she were any more wiser in her choosing of close friends— she wouldn't have to. 

"Yeah." Toni snorted, chiming in before the blonde could even begin to answer. "A _gang dispute_." She mocked.

There was more chuckling. 

Veronica rolled her eyes, the common shameless smirk suppressing itself into a small amused smile for her love's not-so humored view at having their sexual activities on display to their friends. 

Betty's glare went to each of them, but they all kept their sly gazes on the TV. 

The blonde sorely regretted her girlfriend's re-telling of how they came upon their photo evidence of her father's misdoings from the other night. The fact that they had rolled around in the back of a Ghoulie truck had slipped up, soliciting what felt like an eternity of teasing from the gang, mostly Kevin and Toni who had both thrown in their faces that they knew the couple's sneaking around was a turn on. 

Cheryl obviously told them off at Veronica skipping cheer practice for a quickie in a grimy old Ghoulie truck of all place after saying she wouldn't. Sweet Pea, always one for getting something over on their rival gang and the occasional sleaze, wanted to know every detail— none of which he got. While Fangs was less interested, only bringing up the mere fact that they were lucky it was dark and the Ghoulies were drunk enough to be outrun, otherwise if either girls faces were seen there would have been hell to pay for both their respective North and South sides. 

But neither were going to admit that Betty was completely wiped, despite her pants never even coming off, and Veronica's legs were a little too jelly-like at the time to think or care over the matter as they fled. 

"Fights are a local pastime of sorts, for Serpents." 

Veronica wryly glossed over the full truth to her concerned friend instead, shaking her head up at him trying to assure with a look and vague hand gesture around the leather coats in the room. 

"Among other... _physical_ activities." Cheryl grumbled. 

Toni choked. 

"Sure is." Kevin smirked at the redhead's words, head inclining to agree as he exchanged a look with his boyfriend who eye-rolled amused. 

Sweet Pea sighed wistfully at last. "Man, I haven't been physical in months, I think my 'activity' is starting to turn blu-" 

"Let's just watch the movie." 

Betty cut off with a face of disgust before the boy could even finish his lewd thoughts aloud, and the others continue teasing the couple, but they were all busy shooting the tall Serpent similar looks as he simply shrugged carelessly stuffing his face with popcorn.

Veronica only lightly chuckled while pulling back down her girlfriend's shirt, albeit possessively in the room full of people who weren't her, and overly gentle-like, before wriggling to settle back against the blonde as everyone shut up and the movie began. 

Betty's arms both wrapped snugly again around the smaller girl's frame, silently squeezing to coax her love for the thousandth time that her scratches were okay— if anything, they were something she was proud of. 

The blonde actively avoiding Nick's gaze, though there was no missing his features faintly going tense as he seemingly caught on to what the group were implying from the corner of her eye. She forced herself into not thinking more into it, letting out a sigh which involuntarily turned to yawn in the sudden dark and quiet atmosphere of the room. 

Veronica glanced up from her love's shoulder she was resting on once again, bothered dark eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"Are sure you're up for this right now? Babe, you could go to one of Cheryl's spares rooms if you want, I'll be okay..." She murmured, while rubbing soothingly to the bare skin of her blonde's stomach in more concern than to rile her up like before. 

Betty knew that of course she would be okay.

After all, she trusted Cheryl, Toni, Fangs, Kevin, and even Sweet Pea with what was most important in her life. 

It was _Nick_ she didn't trust. 

Even the thought of leaving her girlfriend with the inscrutable and covertly shifty guy was more than enough to have her mind stay alert. 

"Nope. I told you V, I'm fine." The blonde emphasized by burying her head into the brunette's neck and curling up comfortably. "M'never too tired for you." She echoed her words from earlier. 

"But you _are_ stubborn."

Veronica let out a knowing huff, but still tried drawing her girlfriend in impossibly closer while accepting she wouldn't win.

Betty looked up and met those brown eyes, smiling as she teased. "I know I am, but what are you?" She echoed again. 

It made the brunette scoff, inducing a loving grin at her blonde's unending counters and purposely not responding as she turned her attention back to the TV screen. 

Betty on the other hand couldn't seem to take her eyes off the caring and beautiful creature that somehow called herself her girlfriend. She was still getting used to someone caring for her over the little things as much as Veronica did...

_And who needed crazy fictional killer clowns anyway?_

After a while at just staring at the side of her love's face, she released a quiet laugh and the girl was turning to face her. 

Veronica brung her hands underneath the Serpent's chin and had to forcibly turn her head for her to watch the screen pouting, she left a sweet peck on the blonde's cheek and affectionately whispered to the inside her ear.

"Dork." 

  
Neither were aware of Nick's eyes on them, watching their every move the entire time through his narrowed gaze.

The movie passed in two uneventful hours, and Betty surprisingly hadn't slept through it all as she kept one eye on Nick the whole time. Horror films weren't anything to her, or Veronica— although the brunette had burrowed closer into the blonde's arms through a few jump scaring scenes— they already lived something of the context in their everyday lives.

Of course that much couldn't be said for all of the group.

Fangs sat stiff, his complexion green and eyes unblinking at the end credits that rolled onto the screen in front of him. 

"Please...someone tell me that wasn't his arm?" He spoke shakily.

Sweet Pea, reaching over and landing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I would...." His faced grimaced in false sympathetics. "But you know it was, buddy."

Fangs visibly swallowed, hunching over and holding his stomach. "Cheryl..." He choked out, features contorting rapidly. "Fuck, I-I'm gonna be sick." 

Kevin touched to his boyfriend's arm and squeezed comfortingly, eyeing him in concern. "Babe..."

"Fangs. Fogarty."

Any empathies were cut off swiftly by Cheryl, who glared over at the sickly-looking Serpent in the same serious manner as she began to slowly warn him. 

"Don't you dare even think about puking all over my Gucci bath towels-Fangs! _Fangs!"_

The steaming redhead's shout was ignored as said dry-heaving boy was already leaping up from the couch and sprinting off to the home's back luxurious bathrooms. 

Kevin quickly followed calling behind his Serpent worriedly, while Betty and Sweet Pea practically fell over each other laughing from their couch and floor positions. 

It was no new scene for them to see through years of growing up together, but no less hilarious every time. 

Toni would have laughed too, if she wasn't stopping the literal steam from coming out of her girlfriend's ears, holding the redhead comfortingly close. 

"See look at that Blossom, Kevin's going to take care of him and make sure he doesn't puke so you won't have to skin him alive...." She soothed. 

Cheryl calmed and softened as expected at the pink-haired girl's words and touch, settling to sulking in Fangs' disappearing direction instead. 

Veronica rolled her eyes and gave a disapproving pinch to the sides of both her guffawing girlfriend and Sweet Pea to make them stop.

Poor Fangs.

The brunette then looked to Nick, who's eyebrows had shot up considerably at her from the scene where he sat above.   
  
"Four years a gang member that one." She could only answer within a small amused grin herself, feeling tingles where her girlfriend's fingers brush up against her's in their bag of popcorn. 

Betty sat back and casually threw up kernels of popcorn into the open air in which the tallest Serpent caught easily in his mouth, as they played around Cheryl shook her head for the state of her carpet, darkly muttering to Toni along the lines of so help me...cannibal dogs...feeding everyone...

Nick's expression was a mix of mirth and bewilderment as he looked around.

"Yeah, are you absolutely _sure_ this a gang, Ronnie?" 

Veronica laughed.

Sweet Pea caught a flying kernel mid-way between his teeth and swallowed it down to flicker his mocking gaze also at the boy.

"We've got the body count to prove it." 

None noticed the blonde stiffen, halting her throwing and shoot him a small clouded look. 

Veronica scoffed. "He's not serious." She assured her friend's slight wide-eyed look, then turned to the girl she sat against for good measure. "B?"

Betty shifted albeit uncomfortably under her love's too light gaze. "No." She affirmed anyway, reluctantly dragging her eyes up to meet the boy's above them and adding dryly. "We don't kill people, just...maim." 

"And by we, she means them. Not all of us are down for the whole 'violence for a cause' thing, and more importantly, the depressing ink tones thing."

The voice of Kevin filtered into the room for them to look up and see returning, dragging behind him a straggling but significantly less green looking Fangs— as they re-took their seats, the Serpent muttered curses at Sweet Pea and Betty, who momentarily forgot her unease as she and the eldest Serpent simply pat at their shorter friend as their half-ass apologizes for laughing.

Then Betty snorted, giving the first boy the sarcastic 'ok' symbol with her other hand for his entering words. "Just top tier reasoning there, Keller." 

Most joined for the money, or to be feared, get an outlet to substitute for their own shitty lives because they had nothing better going for them as Southsiders. It was the unending violence and danger that usually put others off, but their colors were a _first_ , she thought amused. 

Kevin only shrugged half-apologetically. 

Cheryl mirrored him. 

"He's not entirely wrong." She brushed down her own red leather jacket and everyone looked at her, she shrugged. "Well, it's true. I, for one, probably wouldn't have joined if it wasn't for TT and FP's yield to finally add some life of color to this god forsaken circle." 

The redhead was putting on and they all knew it regardless if FP made the exception for the Northside girl, with no need for the money or fear and a nightmare home-life, she was definitively under category outlet. 

Only Nick looked persuaded enough, though of course it didn't take long for his gaze to travel back to another girl with much more interest. "And you...?" He nodded at Veronica, between her jacket-less form and Betty's leather, expression clearly that the blonde had influenced her to join too.

Veronica shook her head. "Not a Serpent." She answered quickly to his unfinished question, before correcting herself with a small thoughtful frown. "Well, I haven't been officially initiated or anything but since Betty and I started dating I've helped a few times." 

"The true symptoms of co-dependents." 

Cheryl slowly drew out, earning hums of agreements from the rest. 

Betty and Veronica pretended as if they weren't heard, closening their already closeness anyway— of which the blonde of the pair observantly saw brought a tick to Nick's so far indifferent appearance, obviously very much having heard. 

In contrast, the suit let out a light chuckle that was both playful and abrasive while he leaned forward on the couch with his folded hands bracing against his knees to take in more of her brunette. 

"So what? You're like a half-Serpent?" He slickly cocked his head downward. 

Veronica opened mouth, but Betty narrowed her eyes at the boy and beat her to it. 

"We prefer _honorary_." She cut in strongly, tossing arm over her girlfriend's shoulder. 

Toni smirked. "And her and Kev are the best damn honorary members we've got." She praised. 

Her praise followed a few wolf-whistles and whoops that made Veronica both blush and laugh for the unnecessaries of it all, neither of which her love helped with her tickling into her sides during all the excitement.

The brunette squirmed. 

"BBBB..." She drew out through her giggles, smacking the attacking hand of the blonde's and grasping it unmovable already around her shoulders as she re-laced their fingers.

Betty grinned at her. 

But Nick did too— and there was a certain glint in his eye as he watched the couple's closeness.

"Ronnie, you always did have talent for lending a helping hand to those who need it."

When Veronica's sparkling gaze flickered back, again, Betty's grin faded the moment her girlfriend's attention turned away— not liking the tone in the way those words were said at all. 

Only Veronica scoffed, the smile still tugged at her lips. 

"A _moderate_ helping hand, unlike yours." She rose her eyebrows up in mocking, poking at the end of the boy's leg she could reach. "Or shall I bring up that girl who could only speak French from Mrs. Mitchell's class, maybe those two sisters you met during the Brooklyn Festival that were from Spain?" 

Nick's smirk was wide as the brunette went on questioning him, not appearing the least bit ashamed.

The playboy attitude went over no one's head as the suit shrugged nonchalantly and sat back with his arms stretched along the couch.

"Hey, promising a luxurious round-trip to Paris France on one of my father's private jets would turn anyone's head. It's not my fault that it turned dos." He gloated, all airily and pretentious as he took a quick glance around the group and winked. 

Betty, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs all looked like they wanted to gag him. 

While Kevin and Cheryl on the other hand looked crosses between mildly annoyed, impressed, and jealous. 

But it was her girlfriend's laughter at the response that truly turned Betty's thoughts to dark, well dark- _er_ as it was the moment oh-so-charming walked in. 

Sweet Pea subtly nudged her from above. 

"Alright whatever, a private jet to Paris is nice and all but have you ever tried rolling in an old tire from one end to the other end of Shaky's Southside Junkyard?" He challenged the suit, chin raised at him just as ridiculously pretentious. 

Veronica, Fangs, Kevin, Cheryl, and Toni snickered— but his attempt to lighten the blonde's own dark demeanor with one of their poor childhood memories fell flat. 

Nick's eyebrows furrowed, though he gave the taller boy a patronizing smile in return. "I can't say I have..." His eyes wandered again around the group, and lingered on Betty's unsubtle glare with hints of amusement, before settling everyone else with a curious stare. "So besides brawling and junkyard tire rolling, what is it that you country mice possibly do for fun up here anyway?"

The question was met with silence.

Even Veronica hesitant to answer. 

It wasn't as if they could tell him all their 'fun' recently had been tracking down a killer and warring with her father. 

Nick visibly took in their exchanged silent looks of resistance with skepticism, brows raising. "What? You're a gang, right?" He urged, his tone unconvinced at them. "I know you have to get up to some trouble sometimes." 

"That's one hell of a hilarious understatement." 

Cheryl snorted, breaking their silence first. 

Fangs followed.

"Of the fucking decade." He groaned to agree, lying back with hands still cradling his stomach. 

And anyone of them could hazard a guess as to what of their recent trials the boy was no doubt thinking about— being shot all those months ago, Midge's death, dealing with Hiram Lodge again on top of having no luck at finding and stopping the Black Hood— or maybe it still just was the aftereffects of spewing his guts out minutes before.

Either way.

"We don't really get up to trouble." Betty's eyes kept their narrowed look as she answered the boy she was slowly, quickly, growing to dislike and made known. "Trouble just finds us." 

Her tone hard and grim, and the double meaning was far from amiss. 

Veronica squeezed at her hand. 

Nick just nodded slowly, his stare heavy on the blonde and looking like he wanted to say more but from seeing each of their expressions picking up that was all that was going to be said on the matter. 

The suit instead shrugged again and suddenly began reaching inside his jacket. 

"Well, if it's ever trouble you guys are looking for..." He was effortlessly quick to change subjects and even quicker to withdraw several multicolored striped straw-like packs from his pocket under the tense attention of the group, not that he seemed to mind it with the cocky smirk back lighting his face as they were proudly held up for all to see. "I think you might find it in one of these beauties."

It was no mistaking what the 'beauties' were to anyone in the room.

Jingle Jangle. 

The tensioned atmosphere grew silence once more, between the Southsider crew especially.

Betty, Sweet Pea, Fangs and Toni were no strangers to drugs on birthplace alone, nor Cheryl— having both witnessed plenty and even tried in their less than surveillanced side of town, not to mention upbringing. 

It wasn't their thing, only FP had to make that abundantly clear once after joining the Serpents, something along the lines of 'never while they were in his gang and 'under his supervision, blah, blah, blah'— whatever weight that held while they still dangered in everything else, fights, knives, etc. 

Nick looked to the boys sat beside him. "Kevin? Fangs?" He easily offered up two striped straws, one blue and one green.

Kevin first held up a hand as exasperated conviction crossed his features. "None for me, my father will literally sick his K-9's on me."

Fangs shook his head, nodding to the hands he still held to his stomach. "Still queasy." 

Nick 'tsked' sharply, but only turned to his left with the straws. "Sweet Pea?" 

Unlike the other two, Sweet Pea shrugged and reached out his hand for the taking. 

That was until Cheryl slapped it away, chastising him with a single look that simultaneously read how unintelligent and untrustworthy she thought he and Nick were respectively. 

Sweet Pea hastily wrenched his hand away, yelping. "Ah dammit, red!" He glared, shaking out the appendage undoubtedly stinging from the very sharp end of the redhead's nails. "I'm good." He grumbled in defeat. 

Nick scoffed at them. 

"Oh come on, no ones around." He tempted, jutting the straws out again and shifting his eyes downward to one in the room. "How about it, _B?"_

The boy emphasized the nickname pointedly, which was just cringey out of him. 

But it was Veronica that winced while Betty remained stoic staring him down, the brunette began to realize she had a strong dislike for anyone else, even close to her, calling her girlfriend that. 

Still, she glanced over and squeezed into her blonde's side, indicating a silent negative.

"No." Betty spoke up flatly, taking the hint, not that she was ever going to say anything other than it anyway. 

"We're _full."_ Veronica looked back up at her friend and emphasized back to smooth over for the both of them, as semi-politely refusing as one could be while turning down drugs anyway, she gestured to their half-eaten food that lie forgotten on the coffee table and then gave a grimace of a smile to warn him. "Nick, I don't think-"

" _Veronica Lodge_ turning down a bump?" Nick abruptly cut off, releasing a huff and shaking his head as if in genuine disbelief while his stare kept its dubious lingering between the brunette and glaring blonde with her arms around her. "What a brave new world I continue to endure." He deduced amused.

Everyone but Cheryl rose their eyebrows high, and Veronica at least had the decency to slightly redden a bit her to her past being aired out in the open. 

Betty quietly flared. 

It was just another reminder of her love's whole other life that she wasn't apart of, also apparently, only knew vaguely about. 

Nick looked at her satisfied clearly thinking along the same lines, the look was brief as the suit switched attention to his right and before he could open his mouth in fourth offer, was sharply cut off himself.

"Nick..." Cheryl started for her girlfriend and herself, plastered smile saying his name in that sugary-sweet passive-aggressive sometimes tone of hers as she firmly addressed the boy. "I believe no means no, and as the high-class owner of this equally high-class household, I demand it to remain drug-free." 

The corner of Betty's lips lifted into a slight smirk instantly, one held that held little amusement.

"Don't take it too personally, Nick. The house always rules and all. You win some, you _lose_ some." She mocked subtly.

Nick inclined his head back down to her then, something in his wholesomely friendly facade cracking a second, he knew they weren't just talking about drugs. 

The blonde ticked up a challenging eyebrow with her girlfriend's back turned into her. 

The suit's dark look flickered away from her and around the undeterred group after a beat, clicking his tongue in a stiff chuckle as he rose his hands in surrender. 

"Hey, more for me then." He started tucking the straws back into the insides of his jacket and inhaled slowly as he muttered not quite quiet enough. "...honestly, just didn't think a gang of Serpents would be such pussies." 

Betty's teeth grinded. 

Veronica's mouth dropped opened and eyebrows frowned down in her surprise. _"Nick."_ She quickly chastised.

But to her unfortune, a beat quicker was Sweet Pea— no longer mock pretending to be the nice guy— standing from the couch one moment and having a violent hold of Nick's collar the next, yanking her wide-eyed friend also onto his feet. 

"What the _hell_ did you just say, dude?" The tall boy growled low in the shorter boy's startled face.

Fangs and Toni jumped up into the action, followed by Kevin and Cheryl backing them.

No one was left seated on the couch— and Nick was surrounded by one pissed off gang member, two of his protective friends, and their protective partner's. 

The shock left Veronica. 

She sprung out of her girlfriend's, _tense_ she noted but had little time to do anything about, arms, and from the floor to push through the ring created.

Betty was on her feet and behind her instantly, hovering close uneager to have her caught between a fight. 

"Sweet Pea! Get off him!" The brunette exclaimed, she broke the Serpent's grip on Nick's collar and he let go reluctantly as he all but ripped himself off. She glared up at him while standing half in front her eldest friend amidst the crowding group, crossing her arms tightly. "He didn't mean it that way!" 

It went ignored as Nick let out a gasp, grasping at his choking tie and loosening its squeeze at his neck.   
  
Sweet Pea narrowed his own gaze back on the brunette, raising his own voice. 

"And what other way could he have meant it!?" His long arms swung out, somehow missing everyone around him— not that Betty liked it any more. 

Veronica heaved a huff, one hand instinctively going beside her and placing on her blonde's side to calm her, simultaneously turning on her struggling downward facing friend. 

"Nick?" She pressed him for answer, tone both pleading and worried. 

Nick was red, in the middle of straightening out his collar— visibly trying to regain his composure or any touch of his lost dignity— he glanced up warily and cleared his throat.

"Look I'm sorry, I just thought we were having a little fun." He apologized, eyes going to each of the room's gang members as if they were going to jump him at any given second, which was a fair assumption, and expressly emphasized. "I didn't mean to offend anyone, really." 

The group, but Veronica and Sweet Pea, met fast eyes which read they didn't believe a word out of the suit's mouth. 

Nick was looking deliberately to Veronica with innocent and deeply apologetic expression, daring not at the six pairs of threat-glaring eyes on him, particularly at the threat with the neck tattoo.

Veronica's soft eyes softened even more, taking the hand off her love and moving it to squeeze the arm of her nearly wounded friend's instead, assuring him gently as she looked around. 

"See? It was innocent." She declared to the group and it's tallest member especially before sighing in finality. "Now, can we all just sit back down and relax?"

It was hesitant and slowly, but almost everyone begrudgingly took back their spots on the couch. Even Nick as the brunette let go of his arm, though the action went hesitantly. 

Only Sweet Pea stayed planted. 

And so, so did Betty. 

Veronica frowned a little put out as she glanced back at her blonde in confusion. 

Until Sweet Pea released a loud scoff. 

"Of course _you'd_ say that." He spoke with an edge to his voice.

It was in unison that Betty and Cheryl both let out the low warning 'Sweet Pea...', knowing where things were going, but the damage had already been done. 

Veronica whipped around to the boy in front of her, snapping. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" 

Sweet Pea was all-too fervent to let her know. 

"I don't know, I'm just saying maybe it's obvious you've been focusing on a little more than just the guy's fucking morals tonight!" 

"Alright, _enough."_

Betty got between them, pushing her tall friend to back off slightly with a rough hand to his chest and a glower to match.

"Whatever the fuck you're trying to say Pea, it isn't true."

She snapped, purposely choosing not to think about the content of his words or her own internal doubts, but her aversion of a shouting match and certainly not the ones directed at her girlfriend. No one was going to talk to her like that. 

But the words made Veronica falter however, her temper temporarily cooled, curious gaze flickered to and fro from the angry eldest boy to her love. 

_Just like Cheryl insinuated, Sweet Pea thought...did Betty truly believe that there was something going on between her and Nick too?_

The brunette got nothing from the blonde's expression though as she stared down the opposite Serpent for yelling at her, and as her mouth opened to question it— Sweet Pea let out a bitter chuckle instead. 

"Oh come on Betts, you and I both know that's bullshi-" 

"That's also my girlfriend you were just yelling at." 

There was significant heat in Betty's irises as she cut her friend off sharply, moving to stand in front her girlfriend and to her fullest height— still not nearly as tall as the boy but somehow nowhere near less intimidating, she leaned close to caution him. 

"So I would be very careful about what I say, Pea."

The pair were at a stand off again, like those so many weeks ago. 

But unlike last time, no one intervened. 

Along with an intrigued Nick, Cheryl, Toni, Fangs and Kevin all sat stiffly watching, tense and waiting to break things up if need be. 

While Veronica couldn't take her eyes off her love, or off the back of her head at least, considering her suspicions. 

Fortunately once a beat passed from silent glaring communication, Sweet Pea had visibly made himself slacken, remaining close-lipped but seceding in a single head nod to the blonde of bowing down.

Betty slowly returned the nod in some kind of non-verbal understanding, then she again stood seriously gazing between her friend and girlfriend.

The brunette didn't let up her suspicious stare on her and the blonde merely sighed, tone distinctly softening as she ignored it.

"Nick said he apologized so it's over, this doesn't need to become an unnecessary fight." She spoke firmly and quoted at them. "Veronica's an honorary Serpent, and only in _unity_ there is strength." 

The gang let out layered agreements.

And Betty felt a rare relief as her girlfriend finally took her gaze off her. 

Veronica and Sweet Pea looked to each other, all the previous hostilely in their expressions fading out. 

Betty's expression differientiated as it hardened and looked down at the start of the whole almost mess, his seated form rigid but lacking the overconfidence it once had when they met eyes— masked hateful glares. 

"I don't know or care how you meant that, but you're new so I'll warn you that my friends and I don't appreciate insults." The blonde bit out, easily reverting back to threatening because she loved her girlfriend just as much as she also had her friends' backs. "It's not going to happen again 'cause you don't want to start anything you can't finish, I promise you that." 

Nick sat visibly ruffled, both in expression and clothing, clearly apprehensive glancing around under her hard gaze and everyone else's in the room but her girlfriend's— until like Sweet Pea, he gave a small nod of barely conceivable stiffness at her. 

It should have been enough to tell Betty her word was well received, it wasn't. 

Veronica noticed her blonde's dark lingering and chewed down on her lip, reaching out and slipping hand warmly into her's. She effectively brought Betty's attention to her, blue eyes softening and making her pair of brown do the same. 

The brunette knew she had to put her suspicions behind her for the time, she relaxed her love with a look before drawing her back from the protective stance and stepping in the opposite direction. 

"Okay Betty's right. I'm sorry, Sweet Pea." She admitted up once getting to the tall standing boy, then her arms without hesitating were immediately pulling him in. 

Sweet Pea only gave a snorted half-groan, submitting and returning her embrace with played-up reluctance.

"Ah alright, me too princess, I didn't mean to take my anger out on you." 

He patted stiffly at her back, unused to hugs, and the brunette couldn't help laughing into his chest where she nowhere neared the height of his shoulder. 

They pulled away like made-up siblings after a few moments, both smiling, and Veronica could just feel her girlfriend's cute smug expression in her background view. 

Fangs and Kevin smirked.

Even Cheryl appeared vaguely impressed at her cousin, covering it up with an eye-roll. 

"Aw, now isn't that cute." 

Toni cooed sarcastically while Sweet Pea flipped her off and flopped himself back down to the couch, not without an obligatory shove to the other girl to his right for the one-up. 

Betty rolled her eyes as she was made swaying, and the smile from Veronica's face shifted to shoot the seated tall boy a playful scowl instead, fingers latching tightly and keeping her blonde on balance by the sleeves of her jacket. 

Sweet Pea slumped comfortably into the cushions behind him and linked his hands to the back of his head, sighing. 

"The whole temper thing isn't really a talent of mine." His eyes shortly cut to his right. 

Another warning to a stiff Nick.

It wasn't meant to be some half-ass apology and Veronica didn't expect one, as sorry as she felt for her wary friend, she knew the simple warnings were the Serpents being generous for her sake.

_"We know."_

The two words were spoken from the group in unison around the room. 

"Hey!" 

The tall boy's face dropped very offended, and rousing sniggers out of everyone else.

Betty smile softened contently as a small weight leaned into her side and glanced down as their friend's went on. 

"My girlfriend, the mediator..." Veronica hummed up at her, quiet and flirtily, proud beautiful brown eyes only for the blonde. "Who knew you'd make such a good counselor?"

Betty rose her eyebrows, smoothly repositioned so her arms were back around the brunette and the shorter girl situated perfectly within them where her cheek _could_ comfortably find her shoulder. She grinned.

"I can even lay you down on my couch and make you feel better if you'd like..." 

The blonde teased almost every word emphasized with a kiss pressed to her girl's head, then temple, then cheek, then other cheek. 

Veronica just giggled, wasting no time in capturing her girlfriend's lips. 

The standing couple began kissing, rather passionately, much to the annoyance of the rest. 

"Booo!"

Toni droned throwing cold popcorn at them with Sweet Pea, merely bouncing off the oblivious two. 

"Man with sensitive stomach over here! I swear I'll puke again from the mush Betts." Fangs protested loudly. 

Then there were the distinct camera flashes accompanied by coo that could only be emanating from Kevin. 

"Just adorable!" 

Cheryl's bark was the last of it. 

"Friendly reminder that the rest of us are still here, best friend and cousins alike, horndogs." 

Veronica gasped reluctantly away from her lover's lips to peer over her shoulder at the redhead and the others. 

"Well, then I think you better close your eyes." She haughtily smirked.

Of which Betty haughtily matched.

"And your ears." She auditioned, pressing the withdrawn brunette back up against her cheekily. 

Veronica slid her hands up the Serpent's face amused and brought those inviting lips in again, only to have a soft tongue slipped into her mouth, gently wrapping her own— and that really was just unfair. 

True to her word, the blonde made her faintly moan. 

The noise stirred even louder protests in the group— but heard more was a lesser familiar voice amongst them. 

It critically lacked all teasing nature.

"Veronica?"

"Nick!" 

Veronica's eyes popped open wide, hastily pulling away from the lips on her's and twisting around to face said boy in her Betty's arms that continued holding her. 

Nick had stood awkwardly off the couch near the couple, his hands rigidly slid into his suit pants and looking in rare uncomfortable form in front the brunette. 

Veronica couldn't really blame him, her features falling with slight sympathy for his first impression with the gang and she'd all but completely forgot about his entire presence, too distracted as always with the girl at her back.

Betty's jaw clenched as she released her girlfriend yet again, though not moving from her stance behind her— the brunette didn't let her go very far anyway instead leaning back into her front. 

One of Veronica's arms crossed, the other awkwardly removed loose popcorn pieces out of her hair but her dark eyebrows furrowed confusion once she realized the place her friend was in. 

"Nick, what are you doing?"

Nick sighed, shifting uneasy in his dress shoes. "Listen Ronnie, maybe I should go." 

"You don't have to." 

Veronica was immediate, frown deepening at the thought.

Nick eyed her as the gang glaring between them spoke for itself and hesitantly chuckled. 

"Yeah, I think I probably overstayed my welcome a bit." 

The suit backed a few steps from the brunette and the rest— then something else fell over his expression and his fingers came up to snap unexpectedly. 

"Er before I forget, your dad mentioned earlier that he wanted you home by eleven and ten, should I tell him that you're still here hanging out with the gang or...?"

Betty stiffened. 

"About that." Veronica felt her love's reaction and sighed, stepping from the blonde and closer to her retreating friend, she leveled him with a look. "Nick, my dad doesn't really... _approve_ of me being with the Serpents and especially Betty, so could you maybe...?" 

Nick blinked, slowly tilting his head at the brunette and then the glaring girl behind her. 

Betty's arms crossed tightly and watched a flash flicker across the boy's expression and then he straightened up, seemingly confident once more, also grinning back at her girlfriend. 

"Say no more. _Of course,_ he won't hear anything from me." He promised her firmly. 

And Veronica's face lit up grateful. 

"Thank you." She cheered fondly, another step forward and her hands rested on top of her friend's shoulders squeezing. 

Nick only gave a snort while extracting one of the brunette's hands from his shoulder with his. "Oh the privilege is all mine, I remember very well how hard it is to deny that face." He teased, head briefly ducking and pressing a kiss to the hand. 

His _second_ kiss to her hand, Betty fumed and her glare intensified. 

The suit didn't even look up at her, not anywhere passed Veronica. 

"A suggestion if you will, Ms. Lodge?" He smirked down at the brunette playfully. 

Veronica's head cocked curiously. "Nicholas?" She playfully pressed back.

Nick shrugged in nonchalance. "Well since your dad doesn't know about the company you've been keeping, how about allowing me to escort you home tonight so that he isn't suspicious?" His amused gaze drew away from her to peer over her head, eyebrows slickly rose. "I mean if you don't mind, Betty?" 

Betty's jaw stayed clenched in silence with her apt attention and glare on the audacity of the smug suit— there was no way her girlfriend was going anywhere alone with him. 

The blonde's mind was just coming up with a thousand nonverbal ways of retorting, none of which actually included saying the word 'no' rather than showing, when hearing her love's words brung her pleasant thoughts to halt. 

"I'll be alright with him babe, it won't be a long walk and he has a car." 

Veronica had spun around on the blonde too, quickly agreeing to her friend's idea. 

It would be far safer for them— although they were so protective of each other and her girlfriend just met Nick, she knew that by the taller girl's expression alone, so her eyes tried to silently assure her. 

Betty faltered, unable to resist softening blue eyes to falling to the lightly smiling brunette attempting to sway her. 

Veronica didn't so much as need her approval as she wanted it, wanted _her_ to trust her, even if Betty didn't trust the suit. 

But night and the Black Hood mixed all-too well together. 

Betty fought herself hard and took a glance back over the boy behind her love, sizing him up. Maybe he had some car that undoubtedly costed more than her, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs' trailers combined— but she doubted he'd ever had to hold his own and fight for anything in his life, no less physically if trouble was run into on foot. 

Yet the blonde found herself slowly uncrossing her defiantly crossed arms anyway, practically grounding out her response in the direction of the suit. 

"'Course not. V doesn't need my approval."

 _You trust Veronica, you trust Veronica,_ the three words were reminded as she dropped her gaze to the floor beneath her. 

While Veronica's eyebrows furrowed at the Serpent, her love's heart clearly wasn't in the answer she'd given and her avoiding her eyes only sealed it. 

"Good." Nick's voice sounded behind her sounding pleased, then there was a more subdued saying to what the brunette assumed was the hard-staring group on the couch. "It was er, nice to meet you guys..."

There were a few half-hearted mutters, and unsurprisingly, zero response out of Sweet Pea.

"Ronnie?" 

Veronica hesitated, glancing back at her obviously anxiously waiting friend. "Right. One second." She decreed, quickly placing her attention back on her girlfriend, gently cupping her chin and having blue eyes face her. " _Really,_ okay?" 

Her words were spoken quietly for no one else's ears but theirs, wanting actual assurance. She wasn't leaving otherwise. 

Betty lowly shrugged. "I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" She successfully kept the edge out of her tone and with more spirit prompted. "Go, babe." 

Veronica's gaze took a long piercing look at the blonde, then nodded slowly, looking back at the since silent group on the couch. 

"We can pick up on the _other_ thing later guys?" She hinted, eyebrows raising.

A new weight fell over the room— forgotten for a moment that they weren't just normal teenagers having a movie night like they made it out to be for Nick, there was still a serial killer to be caught, their books still hid underneath the couch viable evidence of that. 

Everyone again mumbled their goodbyes, with more nods, hums and salutes at the brunette. 

Veronica sighed, hand sliding from her girlfriend's chin to glide across her neck and softly interweave her fingers into wavy blonde locks. 

"And I'll text _you_ when I get home." She promised softly, absentmindedly picking popcorn pieces from her love's own hair when the couple met one another half-way in a small goodbye peck.

Betty gently ran her hand up the arm attached to her neck, even in her mood she couldn't resist— all the more so when the brunette drew away from her and immediately pressed. 

"Promise me you'll get some sleep?" 

The loving words temporarily diminished Betty's frustrations all together, the blonde simply held up the two fanged fingers that symbolized her gang.

"Serpents honor." She cited and smirked. "Loyalty, Bravery, and Badassery." 

Veronica giggled and tweaked her cheek fondly one last time, backing away to Nick. 

Betty's smirk turned genuine grin fell as she watched her girlfriend turn away from her to the door with the smirking suit dutifully at her side. 

Veronica smiled gratefully as she grabbed her coat from the mahogany rack and Nick chivalrously helped her into it. 

"Mink?" He chuckled over her shoulder whilst the brunette slid her arms in and then looped through his once more as he swung the door open for her. 

She just laughed, walking through. 

And so missing the cocky glaring look the suited boy cast back to the living room, smirking his last comment. 

"Ronnie, just when I thought you couldn't possibly get any _sexier."_

Betty fumed silently, feeling the blood rush to her face as the door closed behind the pair. Her glare glowered, practically burning through the shut wood as the looks of her friend's own unison turned to burn into her skull.

"Good?" Sweet Pea asked first, peering up at the only standing blonde doubtfully. 

As they all were— it was obvious the entire group could sense Veronica's 'Betty the good counselor' was long gone. 

Betty huffed. "Oh, I'm just _splendid."_ She snarked and took a determined step towards the door. 

Hands were immediately placed upon her shoulders and diligently pushed down.

"Alrighty, gonna need you to be the one to calm down there now, counselor."

Fangs mock-gently consoled while he and Sweet Pea force-seated her between them on the couch, both boy's patting at her assuringly. 

Kevin, Toni and Cheryl all closed in too, sliding alongside to join around the sulking blonde.

"So, you've met him, what do you think of him now?"

Toni pressed and reached over, finishing picking the kernels she'd thrown out from her tresses. 

Betty let her for a moment, still quietly fuming, realizing her earlier stand for the suit had been assbackwards and her friend's pre-judgements based on his fucking ridiculous name alone had actually been spot on. 

Nick St. Claire was a boisterously rich pretty boy prick, the whole bold and debonair thing, the too-quick skittish to sure recovery, the beady scheming eyes he shot her way, she didn't like any of it— as his entire unsettling presence at all— but _especially_ around her girlfriend, who seemed to have taken zero notice. 

The blonde exhaled an attempted calming breath.  
  
"He's a dick and he's up to something." She answered, simultaneously pushing the hand of the pink-haired girl away. 

Cheryl rolled her eyes, smoothly crossing her legs. "No duh, thanks for catching up with the rest of us."

Betty ignored the customary sarcastic comment from her cousin for glaring into the blank space in front of her instead. 

"If he tries anything with her..." She growls out. 

Cheryl sighed. "Pissing contests are beneath you, Betty." She warned. 

Sweet Pea scoffed in the redhead's direction. "You're a long way off, red." He then slung an arm over the blonde's shoulders and grinned down at her in a cheering up way. "Pissing contests are right up our alley and we're forever the fucking champions, right Betts?"

Fangs shook his head at his taller friend. "Except Veronica has already been won, their _dating_ man." 

"Thank you." Cheryl huffed gratefully to the shortest boy.

But Sweet Pea simply shrugged. "So?" 

Toni snickered, directing it at the sulking blonde. "I'm surprised you held out." 

Kevin nodded vigorously to agree with the pink-haired girl.

"Yeah, you weren't really closeting the whole 'I would definitely be punching you very hard in the face right now if I didn't think my girlfriend would go off on me' vibe." He added, also directing his usual unapologeticness at the blonde.

Sweet Pea pointed a finger at him. 

"Spot on, Keller." He praised before grimacing back down to his friend still glaring into nothing. "I hate to tell you this dude, but I wasn't just saying that about that guy's vibe with your girl and controlling a temper isn't really your talent either." 

"Okay, everyone shut up a minute." Betty groaned, running both hands over her face before lifting up and switching a heavy gaze to each of her friends sat on the sides of her. "My girlfriend isn't some object to be won or fought over, we _love_ each other."

The intensity of the words plunged the room to silence which made the blonde heatedly continue.

"And no matter how much I want to punch Nick in the face, or either one of us, we won't because he's her friend and he hasn't tried anything." 

To her lecture there was rare approval on the face of Cheryl, half that on Fangs' and Kevin's faces, then the plainly unconvinced Sweet Pea and Toni. 

But of course, Betty had barely noticed any of their expressions in her own failing convincing. 

"He's just her fucking rich friend thats all suave and good looking and I hate his guts..." She grumbled bitterly and mostly to herself while slouching back into the couch after. 

Instinctively, the gang plus Kevin gravitated even closer— all squeezing up and trying to contact the blonde comfortingly. 

"O-kay, time to cheer up, Betts." Sweet Pea shook the girl at the shoulders, excitedly exclaiming. "How about we watch some _Die Hard_ to distract you, huh? It's one of your favorites! Tiny keeps the whole quintet over here!" 

"Die Hard!"

"Die Hard!"

"Die Hard!"

"Die Hard!"

The four others chanted the movie— even the reluctant Cheryl and Kevin. Who weren't fans. 

But Betty shook her head, gratefully waving them off. She couldn't concentrate worrying over Veronica and her body felt significantly more exhausted than before, although she doubted she'd get any actual sleep until her girlfriend texted she got home safe.

The blonde tiredly stood to her feet shaking Sweet Pea and Fangs off her in the process, the chants of her friends quickly died down. 

"Thanks but you guys can watch, I'm gonna stay the night Cheryl." She informed the seated group, then turning towards her cousin without having to ask. 

"You know where the blankets are." 

Cheryl simply tipped her head up at her, tone still uncharacteristically non-sarcastic filled.

Betty nodded back a sign of her own uncharacteristic gratefulness, then wasted no time in spinning on her heel to step across the room and make her way up the huge staircase with her concerned friends obvious eyes locked onto her retreating form. 

_It wasn't like Veronica acted any differently with that asshole around and in the same room as you_

_Even if he likes her, it's not like she likes him back, she hasn't seen him in years and she's in love with you_

The blonde's hand clenched to the banister anyway at her thoughts as she carried on, her destination of disappearing into Cheryl's many guest rooms and not bothering to change before her head hit the most expensive soft pillows she'd ever slept on growing satisfyingly nearer with every step. 

_Besides you have bigger problems to deal with Cooper, Dick St. Claire isn't going to be made a new one because of your stupid jealousy_

With that, she disappeared up the staircase completely.

But downstairs, the five set of eyes that were instilled on the blonde's back simultaneously looked to one another with the same thought in mind.

And only one spoke it aloud.

Fangs sighed. "This is gonna be a new problem, isn't it?" 

Kevin scoffed at him. " _That_ obvious?" 

\- 

_'I'm okay, why wouldn't I be? Go, babe'_

Veronica played and rolled the words of her love over a couple dozen times in her head as she walked the paved road with only the moonlight above to light her and her friend's path. 

Nick promised her a short distance to his car, apparently parked a little ways down the street from Thornhill seeing as Cheryl's driveway was packed with the redhead's convertible and the Serpent's multiple motorbikes. 

Still, the brunette felt the goosebumps from chills traveling up her arms through her coat and promptly let go of her friend's arm to cross her own securely over herself. 

It was while the walk in the dark put her on edge, thinking about Betty's odd behavior had been placing her every bit as on edge. 

She knew Betty was tired but her love almost seemed...upset?

_But why? Was it still at Nick for provoking the Serpents? Was it at her? Wh-_

There was a low mumbling that rattled right next to her ear. 

"What?" 

Veronica instinctively responded, snapped out of her ponderings to glance up left at boy walking closely in step with her eyebrows rose. 

Nick smiled softly down a her and merely stuffed his hands back into pockets as she had released him. 

"I said, the Southside Serpents huh? A street gang?" He repeated, playfully bumping into her side. "They're certainly not boring." 

Veronica returned the small smile, albeit guilty as she tuned back in— unlike her, it seemed her friend was relaxing the more distance they put between them and Thornhill, while she'd once again forgotten him to her thoughts of her girlfriend. 

"Oh trust me Nicky, you get used to them." She joked.

Nick chuckled, re-straightening out his suit jacket in a true reminder to her of his almost assault. 

"Yeah, to be honest I'm a little afraid of what will happen to me if I _don't."_ He joked back, though his slight wary expression down at her held half the humor. 

Veronica winced at him a mix of amusement and silent apology, in that moment forcing her body to relax from all Black Hood and Betty worries to give her friend her full attention. The brunette unembraced herself and reached over, pinching onto the boy's loose tie to help fix up his ruffled attire. 

"I'm really sorry about what happened with Sweet Pea." She tightened the material to his grateful expression before letting him go and leveling a look of her own. "Listen Nick, these guys aren't like the ones at Spence, they aren't about getting high and they definitely will throw the first punch without thinking twice about who your parents are or the police getting involved." 

Nick's eyebrows rose smartly, gesturing at his clothes. 

"Really, Ronnie? You don't say." 

Veronica thought back to her many a times witnessing the Serpents nearly fight and the damage she'd seen in the past, even Betty had taken down two guys at once— that wasn't even including all the rumors she'd heard about and the stories she knew her girlfriend withheld from her. 

The brunette shook her head out of memories and looked back up at the sarcastic boy, poking him in the arm playfully. " _Yes_ really." She made her brown eyes narrow in knowing he sometimes took things purposely too far for kicks. "And you shouldn't have insulted them." 

Nick only chuckled smoothly again to her small assault. "Come on, you know me Ronnie. I was just riling them up to lighten up the room a little, that's all." He retorted.

Veronica didn't let up her narrowed eyed stare. 

"Well it _would_ be all, except that my friends back there are extremely protective." She informed, stare more pointed. "That goes especially for strangers who they have yet to warm up to."

"Alright alright, point taken, Lodge." Nick scoffed, shoulders raising in yield to her while his smile morphed to usual smirk. 

"Good." Veronica nodded in satisfaction, adding for clarity's sake as she looked out meaningfully onto the stretch of thankfully empty road ahead of them. "Because I'm also protective, and that highly dysfunctional but lovable gang of misfits back there means a lot to me now." 

Nick tried to hum nonchalantly from beside her but of course from the corner of brown eyes, the brunette could see him put on his overly fabricated look of curiosity.

"So, not maybe just _one_ highly dysfunctional but lovable misfit member in particular?"

Veronica's sights instantly turned from the road and shot the dark-haired boy another look, his smirking expression saying a thousand words back to her own half-amused-half-annoyed one. 

"You're point, Nicholas?" She pressed, eyebrow raised over. 

"Nothing, I just didn't know you were a lesbian." 

Nick shrugged, a note of mischief and something else she couldn't pinpoint in his tone...odd.

But still, the brunette was unable to resist her own smirk up at the false accusation. 

"That's because I'm not."

Nick tilted his head in genuine curiosity unlike before. "Bi?"

She shook her head. 

To her utter amusement, the visible confusion grew exponentially on her friend's face.

"O-kay, straight girl who just so happens to have four gay friends and a girlfriend herself? That's hard to believe Veronica, even for us New Yorkers." 

Nick argued, and there was obvious doubt in his tone— but also odd hints of annoyance and impatience while looking down at her. 

Veronica chalked it up to being upset she was holding out on him.

The brunette rolled eyes but not for long as she still kept them out for potential danger, feeling not nearly as safe with her friend by her side in the dark than she did with her girlfriend— maybe Cheryl was right and they really were co-dependent.

"Nick, I'm ninety-nine percent sure I'm straight." She concluded, then sighed into the air lovingly like a cheesy romance movie. "And that other one percent goes to Betty, and Beyoncé of course." 

Her quip seemed to lighten whatever mood had run through the boy walking with her. 

Nick laughed, with her following right after.

Her friend wistfully sighed. 

"Same old Ronnie after all, well..." 

Veronica lightly batted him on the arm, still smiling. "Stop it." 

Nick shook his head at her. "No really, you seem lighter, actually happier especially since the last time I saw you." He professed. 

Veronica didn't recognize any darker undertone in the boy's voice as she was busier pleasantly going over his words— Betty _did_ make her lighter and happier— only then that thought was tragically interrupted by a flashback to the last time Nick had seen her. 

"Oh god..." She groaned of embarrassment, her gaze dropping to the shadowed gravel underneath her moving heels and wishing to trade it places. 

Nick's amused snort could be heard above her head.

"I believe you were throwing a full on tantrum in the middle of Manhattan because your mom was making you move to some 'royally boring town with bumpkin nobodies'?" 

Veronica sighed, she'd love for boring. "What a marvelous occurrence change is." 

"Well I don't know, I kinda liked the old you." 

The brunette felt the close presence next to her shift more to her than it already was, a voice deeper than before. 

Her gaze slowly flickered back up to it's owner, noting Nick's smirking face distinctly closer to her's. 

"And the new me?" She cocked her head, cluelessly curious as to what he was up to. 

"She's great too." Nick readily answered, lingering close and intense eyes still staring directly into hers. 

So directly, Veronica worried partly that he wasn't watching where he was walking but mostly worried about the sudden proximity. It was a little too much.

The brunette gave a short uneasy bout of laughter, moving her own head a little ways away.   
  
Fortunately Nick seemed to get the hint and backed off to walk a more comfortable distance again, clearing his throat with a mixed expression unreadable to her. 

"I mean even if she is chasing after the rap-sheet bad girls instead of the meatheaded jocks now." 

Veronica decided to shake the weird moment off, producing a slight grin at the jibe. 

"For your information, I chase after no one and Betty doesn't have a rap-sheet." She defended, at least no rap-sheet because her love had ever been _caught_ doing, namely vandalism came to mind as she wagged a finger over at the suited boy. "Now that doesn't mean I'm not still going to warn you right now not to tick off my girlfriend."

"Oh?" Nick countered, his eyes darkening downward at her ever-so-slightly. 

Veronica barely took note as she'd already glanced passed him, relief making her tensed-self relax more as the familiar black Rolls-Royce she knew belonging to the boy came into moonlit view on the roadside of her best friend's street. 

"You don't want that problem, from her or from _me."_ Her slight grin blossomed to an adoring one at the car in the distance. "But mostly her, even though inside she's just a sweet softy..." 

The brunette momentarily lost herself in her thoughts again. 

Betty might have been a 'bad girl' to everyone else, but to Veronica, she was the girl she fell in love who just so happened to be apart of a badass gang— not that it wasn't deliciously hot— nevertheless, Veronica fell in love with _all_ of her. 

"You're _really_ smitten with her, Veronica Lodge, I never thought I'd see the day you'd be drooling over someone more than Taylor Lautner." 

Nick's voice teased next to her yet again, still with that undertone, making her emerge from her head and turn to look over at him. 

The smile still adorned the suited boy's face though as he drew out a set of keys from his pants and pointedly clicked a button to which his Rolls-Royce, she'd only just realized they'd arrived and stopped in front of, created noise of unlocking while it's bright headlights lit up just about the neighborhood. 

Veronica blushed a bit at her lack of observation and the obvious truth in her friend's words to match, attempting to cover she huffed amused at the mention of her prepubescent celebrity crush instead and gaped to him offendedly. 

"Hey, just because I'm one percent gay now does _not_ mean I can't still appreciate a man actual Adonis with a muscled body sculpted by the Greek gods themselves." She shivered then narrowed playful eyes again at the suited boy in warning. "Don't tell Betty I said that." 

Nick laughed mirthfully again.

And Veronica joined him again, while the boy threw an arm over her shoulders and the other opened the passenger side car door for her. 

"I missed this." She glanced up giggling, squeezing her friend's arm in a friendly gesture before releasing him to fully climb into the lavish vehicle. 

"Oh Ronnie." Nick smirked wide down as he stood between her and the open door of the car. "I missed you too and just you wait, this'll be just like the old days." He promised, winking before taking a step back and closing the door behind him. 

Veronica rolled her eyes at their 'old days', but humored at her friend's trademark so-called smooth demeanor as she watched him make his way across to the driver's side from the windshield. 

The brunette settled comfortably back against the expensive red leather seating in wait, her gaze drifting up into the starry night's sky from the tinted passenger side window and dispassionately sighing. 

With the Black Hood and her father to worry about, there was also a nice warm reminiscent feeling within her. 

She couldn't help but thinking Nick had perfect timing. 

He at least would be no more of a problem for them. 


End file.
